La Guerre de l'Art (The War of Art)
by Elsanna Potato Corner
Summary: "Paint me like one of your French girls." There were many things brooding Renaissance artist Elsa Maurer found beautiful in the world, and they were often the subjects of her numerous paintings. But few—if any—could hope to match her fair protegée, Anna. Alas, their patron also has designs on the protegée… and Hans is used to getting what he wants.
1. The Art of Focus

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **Prompt:** Painter!Elsa helps the wealthy noble Hans win Painter!Anna's heart, feeding him clever lines and ideas for romantic notions (a la Cyrano)

Background info: The year is 1556, and it is the height of the French Renaissance. Elsa and Anna are painters, Hans is a wealthy noble/soldier and hires them to paint. He wants to woo Anna but doesn't know how to, so he starts asking Elsa for help. Elsa falls in love with Anna, and Anna falls in love with Elsa through Hans as the catalyst

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

Many hardships and trials had brought the fair Elsa Maurer to the distant land of France. One of the most curious stumbling blocks was the insistence that she keep her name "Maurer" rather than "Masson" once she took up residence there; after all, the words meant the same thing in their root languages. What was the difference? But it meant all the difference to Elsa; even if her family tree had been razed to the ground, she would carry the mantle of their name with her for all her life.

Those were the only things she had left to herself: her family name, her ability to paint lush, vibrant landscapes with both words and brushes… and her _panache._ When all else failed, she always had that to fall back on.

Fortunately for both Elsa and her pocketbook, that had not been a problem of late. The wealthy cadet, Hans de Neuvillette, had taken quite a shine to her work and her flamboyant style, her flouting of the conventions of modesty and decorum, and taken her under his wing. At first, it had been a single commission for a mural on the ceiling of the foyer, but that had evolved into several other rooms of his sprawling estate: drawing room, study, ballroom. His patronage had been more of a formality by the time it was established. Elsa found herself a kept artist, and though her free spirit chafed at that notion, she could not deny the benefits.

The first and foremost among these being his other ward, Anna. Though she had given her name as Roxanna, Hans immediately decided it should be shortened for his amusement and convenience the moment he snapped her up from hawking her paintings on the streets of Paris. They showed incredible promise, and their subject matter so uplifting from a grimy-faced redhead who barely had enough knowledge of salesmanship to put shoes on her feet and bread and cheese in her stomach. He couldn't have that, and so now he had her, and she had a place to stay.

In Elsa's room. Directly across from her own bed. Seeing her every day was an endless source of inspiration; though neither Hans nor Anna herself seemed to notice, she had a classic beauty that was unparalleled. After a mere week, she could paint Anna's face in her sleep. Her spirit found its way onto her canvas day after day—though in forms that were unrecognisable as her most of the time. Merely her energy flowing into the shaping of whatever that day's subject matter happened to be. She would have it no other way, if she were honest with herself.

Which she rarely was.

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 1**

 _The Art of Focus_

* * *

"Oh! Is that for the auction? At the _hôtel de la Motte-Sanguin_ in Orléans?" a familiar voice sounded in her ear, and Elsa blinked out of her creative stupor, pausing in her painting. She lifted her brush away from the canvas, turning her head to see her muse standing there with her lips curled into a bright smile.

"Ah...yes. Yes, it is," Elsa mumbled, averting her gaze to the myriad of paint splatters and strokes marring her smock. She fancied one mark vaguely resembled the foppish hat her benefactor had worn the other day. "It's...not quite finished yet."

"It looks finished to me," Anna teased, and the blonde shook her head, a smile of her own coaxing onto her lips at the girl's words. "What else do you have to paint?"

Blue eyes swept back up to the canvas before her—to the scene depicting the Siege of Orléans.

She could see how Anna thought it was finished, the entire canvas was covered in an array of purposeful strokes, but Elsa could see how it still missed the highlights that would make it truly complete. It still lacked the holy aura around Jeanne d'Arc that would make her come to life. Elsa's eyes flitted between Anna and Jeanne, momentarily picturing Anna in her place and then realizing she'd left Anna's question unanswered.

"Nothing much, I just need to capture God's blessing on canvas," Elsa's eyes locked onto Anna's face one more time before her focus returned to the painting.

With its current state, it was difficult to discern which of the battling figures was _la_ _noble_ _Pucelle d'Orléans_. Her famous banner easily stood out amidst the mass of armored bodies, but as for Jeanne herself…

"She was just a peasant girl, you know. Born and raised in a small village called Domrémy." Elsa _felt_ rather than heard Anna take a seat on an empty stool beside her, so close their arms could brush. "I think...I think it's best if you leave her ambiguous, as you have it right now. It would be poetic."

Elsa quirked a golden brow. "The point is to impress the investors at Orléans; not to insult their most revered saint."

"You don't think they'll be impressed with this level of skill?" Anna said. "You're… majestic. Maybe that's silly, but you are; I could never paint this good."

"You're already this good. Don't be so harsh on yourself."

The girl sighed, bumping her shoulder into Elsa's as long as she had not resumed painting quite yet. "That's a lie. If I was, Hans wouldn't have made me your _protégée_ _._ He can tell I have a lot to learn from you."

"And I can tell we have a lot we could learn from each other," she breathed, turning to look at her—and being startled by the sudden closeness of their faces. But she kept her head, as she always did; panache, above all else. "So many things."

The younger artist flushed slightly. Whether or not it was from Elsa's words of praise, or from their closeness, or something altogether different, she could not say. But she did smirk through her blushing. When Elsa only tilted her head to one side and waited, she relented and spoke her mind.

"Sometimes… you talk as if you were a young noble courting me. And I don't know whether to laugh or to strike you with my gloves."

"You don't have any gloves." Anna glanced down at her hands, then flushed an even deeper shade, which made Elsa chuckle and say, "I can stop if it bothers you."

Anna moved to pull up Elsa's chin and catch her eyes. "Never."

To hide the blush creeping into her face at Anna's frankness, Elsa snapped her eyes back to the canvas. Her hands were steady despite her nerves as she put a broad stroke of light to shine upon Jeanne from the heavens. Despite her best efforts though, all her focus was still on the girl beside her and the way her breath had hitched when her fingers left Elsa's face.

 _Focus._

* * *

Anna knew she was supposed to be watching the technique, but none of her attention was on Elsa's hand.

Elsa had beautiful, slender hands, milk-white as the marble the craftsmen hewed, shaping wonders out of the raw rock—swan-like nymphs, shepherds of Arcady. But the marvels that those hands now wrought—the breath of life Elsa attempted to give her creation, that is what spellbound Anna now.

A holy fervor seemed to have overtaken Elsa as she gazed long and hard at her work, a passion not unlike the one that must have seized her subject. What fancies entranced Elsa at her task, Anna could only guess.

"Ah, _bonjour!_ How are my two favourite girls?"

Both of said "girls" winced when they heard the velvety voice of their patron. So lost had they been in the magic of the creative process that they didn't even hear him open the door or slip inside. Then again, he had a habit of trying to startle them out of their reveries on purpose; he said it helped them focus better. That seemed completely contrary, but who were they to criticise his methods? He was the patron, and they merely his indentured servants of the arts.

"Nearly finished with this piece," Elsa told him in a flat tone, gazing evenly at—or _through_ the canvas. Then she did the magical thing Anna could never seem to bring herself to do: she continued. "Which would be done now, if you had not broken my concentration like a shattered pane of glass."

Hans raised a fuzzy eyebrow, his gently noble features composed into a caricature of hurt. _"Moi?_ I have somehow ruined this work of art, merely by asking how it's coming along?"

Standing, Elsa threw down her palette and crossed to the window, not bothering about the faint smear of white paint that ended up on the polished floors from her brush. "Not ruined. _No_ art is ever ruined unless it has been burned—and even then, that would be a service to the works of certain artists in Germany I had the abominable pleasure of meeting."

"You must embrace the flow of the brush, let your emotions consume you—get lost in them, as they direct your vision." She watched as Elsa threw her hands up in the air, though could not see the twisted frown which marred her otherwise flawless pale face. "And yet, the slightest of interruptions can break _l'élan d'inspiration_ , quash that passion."

Anna just stared at her in wonder. _I could never talk to Hans like that… not after he took me in off the streets._

"Ah, but a truly skilled artist could bounce back from something this minor, _non?_ " Hans scoffed, a smirk that indicated he didn't care for a single word of her tirade curling onto his lips. "And you _are_ a skilled artist, aren't you? What am I saying? Of course you are! I wouldn't have brought you under my wing otherwise!"

"Under your wing or on the street I am an artist, skilled or no, _monsieur_."

"Oh but you _are_ wonderful, Elsa!"

The staredown between Elsa and Hans broke at Anna's enthusiastic blurt. Hans, amused, slung an arm around the younger artist's shoulder, smiling at Elsa. "There, you see? Now, let us, the fans of your work, allow you to return to it. Anna, we will be joining my dear mother and her latest paramour on the veranda for lunch."

Elsa scowled, but Hans met her brooding with an even brighter smile.

"I'll have my man bring you whatever you want to eat."

The scowl turned into a bemused sneer. "Your liver, lightly braised. How soon can I expect it?"

"Oh, come now," he laughed easily, steering Anna toward the exit, waving over his shoulder with one white-gloved hand. "I'll send fruit, and you can ask for more sustaining fare from him when necessary. Return to your labours!"

* * *

And the door slammed shut. After glaring at it for what seemed like an eternity, Elsa stomped to her canvas, gazed at the slathered paints, the subject she had been trying so hard to capture. Her hands gripped the edges of the canvas, knuckles turning white, until she lifted it from the easel and raised it above her head…

"No," she finally sighed—had it been ten minutes, twenty? Probably only a few seconds. Slowly, she lowered it back to its perch, the powerful urge to shatter the frame and rob her patron of his treat having passed. That would solve little. Instead, she seated herself and returned to adding the last few touches.

Elsa tried to focus on finishing the painting, yet… something was missing. No— _somebody_ was missing.

She stared long and hard at Jeanne d'Arc's form on the canvas as she endeavoured to get back into the correct frame of mind, the right emotional state… but it would not come back to her—not now.

" _Merde!_ " She cursed after several long minutes spent staring at the work before her on the easel. Not a trace of fresh paint visible after the interruption.

While she started to stand from her seat once more, she was startled by a knock at the door.

" _Mademoiselle?_ " came the call from the entryway in a thick low tone.

She scowled, and yet… she was making no headway as it was. With a resigned sigh, she uttered, "Enter."

Despite the bulk of the man, his tendency to stoop and avoid eye contact made him look rather small. " _Mademoiselle_ ," he repeated, proffering a platter of colorful fruits, with a heaping pile of chocolates at their core. An apology, perhaps?

"Set it anywhere, thank you." Elsa sighed and set her hands in her lap, looking at her visitor instead of her painting. He stood, silent, letting her examine him without fidgeting. When she realized neither of them had said anything, she turned in her seat and opened her mouth.

"Is there anything else you might require?" He noticed at the last moment he had interrupted her, and his stillness was broken by several shallow bows. "My apologies, madam, what were you going to say?"

Lips quirking, she dismissed his concern with a flip of her hand. "Merely that you may call me Elsa. It seems we are both servants to the same master, although your abilities to complete your work far surpass mine." She glared back at the canvas, and he followed her gaze with a bemused expression.

"I'm sorry, _Mademoiselle_ , but I could not… I cannot." The manservant shuffled back towards the doorway, seemingly doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact. "As for my abilities, I am but a simple _serviteur_. You, however, are an _artiste_."

"Am I?" she asked—more to herself than to him. When he did not answer, feeling it was not his place, she merely nodded in his direction and breathed, "That will be all, thank you."

" _Mon plaisir,_ " he responded as he backed from the room, easing the door shut with the gentlest _click._

* * *

A few days later, the painting was complete, and safely stored among the others that would be debuted in Orléans. Hans had pointed out the running theme of strong women with oddly familiar features, but for him, it was a passing, meaningless detail.

But Elsa knew the reason behind that, of course. Her muse was an unlikely source. Given her tendency to choose female subjects, and to be a painter of such skill in the first place, she had grown accustomed to those who appreciated her talents to presume she was male. It didn't help that "Elsa" was such an unfamiliar name to their tongues, although it didn't have a particularly masculine sound. Either way, it was of little importance.

She had the money she needed and her brush had been given free reign. That was enough for now.

It _had to_ be enough.

And yet, Anna's freckled visage haunted her nightly thoughts; brushed along the edges of her mind in the waking hours.

Of course, she had no interest in her besides friendship, and as a subject for her art. A muse and a companion. Yes, she had heard the limitless accusations back in Germany—the uttered _die Lesbe_ around every salon and social gathering. Not that she ever did anything such as courting a woman, or even showing her untoward affections. Not intentionally, anyway.

Not beyond friendship, or as a business dealing. Lingering kisses on soft, feminine cheeks were merely her way of ingratiating herself into social circles, playing the game. Why did they insist it meant something different when she did it compared to when others did? Obviously, she had to get away from that environment—off to France, where they were much more open about such things. Less stuffy, less… rigid and unwelcoming.

What she failed to recall—or perhaps, even notice at the time—were the way her glances would _slowly_ trail the curves of those feminine figures in their form-fitting gowns, or her breathy sighs upon departing their company, or the way her kisses lingered slightly longer than those by any of the other women when placed upon another woman. Not to mention being unaware of the twinkle in her own eyes when she would speak with— _or of_ —them.

No, she was quite unaware of the depth to which her taboo intentions, however unintentionally, had been openly on display for all and sundry.

But since moving to France, she had turned over a new leaf. No more of that, no more being so blissfully ignorant to the point where even more ignorant husbands would no longer leave her alone with their wives, fearing she would "make off" with them. Such tripe. She was not a monster, she was an artist who appreciated the female form for its many and varied… attributes. That her mind tended to linger upon those attributes long after her paintings were finished was a minor detail.

Though it was so much worse when it came to Anna. She was the only thought in her head when it was empty of all else, the centerpiece of the banquet of her life. She would do anything to see she was happy and healthy, that she was taken care of.

Perhaps that was the real reason she did not dismiss Hans out of hand when he came to her with his plea.

* * *

"You want me to _what?!"_

"I wish to court Anna, and _you_ are going to help me," Hans repeated, setting his wineglass on the table. The ghost of a smile danced on his lips, though Elsa could see the emerald hardness of his eyes that spoke of his failure to woo the girl on his own.

"I?"

Elsa might have tossed her head in scorn. She might have let out a frivolous laugh. Much as she tried to present a front of cavalier contempt, however, something about the prospect intrigued her.

"Indeed," replied Hans, his bright teeth shining beneath thinly stretched lips. He was going to great efforts to appear merry of spirit. Yet, his smile was like the grotesque smile of a painted mask—the artifice of happiness. His laughs were cheerless as he went on, trying to be casual.

"I am… enamoured by her…" He paused. Perhaps he felt this gave his words effect, but it felt like he was struggling to say the right thing, to choose words as delicate as he could muster. "And I have taken note of how she has responded to you. Your work entrances many, of course. It is no small surprise that it has brought her under your… ah… thrall."

Elsa gazed at him.

"You want me to… do what, exactly? Sing your praises to her? Tell her you're the world's best lover? I haven't even had the… _extremely_ dubious pleasure."

His expression darkened very briefly, but he corrected it as quickly as possible. "Indeed. And I'm afraid you are not particularly my type, either—but that is neither here nor there. I'm more… looking to you for guidance. Find out what she desires in a man, her interests and loves beyond the world of painting. Give me your periodically silver tongue to whisper in her ear."

"My periodically silver tongue, eh?" One of her pale eyebrows arched as she sipped at her own glass, mulling this over. "What's in it for me?"

"You capitalist dog," he laughed harshly. "I do enjoy that facet of the gem that is Elsa: straight to the point, as always."

"Well? You haven't answered my question. What do I get out of this? Why should I sacrifice valuable painting time to sit around, asking Anna what her favourite flower is?"

"I've already been giving you free reign in your subject matter, perhaps I could extend it even further?" Hans lifted his eyebrow and smirked.

"Oh, please…" Elsa scoffed, placing her glass down to cross her arms over her chest, "You and I both know giving me free reign on my pieces has lent us both with bigger pockets. You would be a fool to revoke that right."

His smirk shifted into something more akin to a troubled frown. "Indeed, I must be a fool to chase such a lowly girl in this way. A peasant." The smirk returned. "But her beauty, her curves...Ah, yes, they would certainly drive any man mad."

She resisted the urge to toss what remained of her wine at his face. "I ask you again: how would lending _you_ a poetic hand benefit _me_?"

Hans considered for a long few seconds, just enough to give the impression he was really mulling things over. Had Elsa met the man that day, she might have been fooled; this was the ace he'd walked into that meeting already carrying up his sleeve. Now only the matter of slipping it into his hand to be played remained.

"Your own premises. To be granted to you after our marriage vows are recited; I'm sure you can appreciate that having an extra artist around our new home would be… indecent, in certain ways."

"Any house with you in it is already indecent." However, her barb had no true sting. Property. She had not entered France as a peasant, per se, but neither was she wealthy. The thing he promised would take years and years of further artistic toil—and although she cherished her craft, pumping it out at his preferred speed turned it from a delight to a drudgery.

"Well? What do you say, my dear?" Sipping his wine, he delivered the finishing blow: "Help me catch the vixen, and you need never go on the hunt again."

Elsa's gaze drifted down to the table, eyes tracing the meandering patterns of the polished wood as she contemplated his offer.

But really...was there any doubt?

"When should we get started?"

Hans had this smug grin running across his face and clapped his hands together. "Well…" He looked around the room. "We can start now. Oh, Anna does come here quite often, so yes, now would be the perfect time!"

Her gaze perked up, but she was not quite shocked of his demands. Elsa was used to it. "Unsettled" would be the word to describe how Elsa was feeling.

" _Tu rigoles?"_

Hans blinked. "Why, no, I'm not joking. You see, she's a wonderful woman, Elsa. I'm sure you can see that."

"I need time, Hans."

He tilted his head. "I don't _have_ much time, Elsa."

"And why, pray tell, _good sir_ ," she began, though she nearly choked on the address, "do you not have much time? You are her patron, so why is the expediency of the matter of such great import?" She raised her brow questioningly.

He smirked in a manner Elsa could only describe as malicious. "Because, _dear_ Elsa, I must stake my claim before the young girl _est souillée_ by another."

She fought to maintain a straight face, and hold her tongue—her mind desperately restraining her panache from biting out. _The nerve of this man._

"You speak of her as if she were a common concubine. We both know the fabric of her character is spun from silk, not dishrags."

"Of course. But will it remain that way forever?" Noting her ire rising, he held up both hands. "Merely being realistic, not casting aspersions upon her. After all, she has my heart. Why would I belittle the woman I love?"

 _As if you know the first thing of love._ But speaking those words would get her nowhere. "I'll begin tomorrow, when next she poses for me. I'll find out what I can to pass on to you, and do my best not to tell her what a vapid, supercilious cad you are."

That did make him throw his head back and laugh. Clearly, having won their back-and-forth put him in good enough spirits to endure even the most brutal of Elsa's jests. "That's the spirit! I look forward to these new adventures of ours." With no further ado, he drained the glass, tipped it in her direction as a sort of mock-toast, and rose to sweep from the room.

Elsa chose to linger for a moment longer, staring contemplatively at the rich crimson of her wine.

Eventually, she knew this was going to happen. Not that she didn't care for what Hans told her, but she was only a mere artist, hired by him to paint. This shouldn't be her business… it wouldn't be if she hadn't become so attached to Anna.

She sighed and glanced at the unfinished canvas behind her. It wasn't Anna, but she imagined her with her hair splayed gloriously, her figure shaped in the most adoring way, her eyes gazing as though she had witnessed the sun setting behind the ocean. And she was free from any garment, other than a white cloth covering her intimate bits. The thought left her throat dry and taut.

 _"Pour l'amour de Dieu..."_ she whispered to herself, and ran her fingers through her golden fringes. It wasn't the time to think of such impure images.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** forkanna/Jessica-X, The Wandering Quill, Peanut-Butter-Bandit, Glittering-Snowfall, Cyrianu, nopantsparade/Issandri, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch


	2. The Art of Reconnaissance

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 2**

 _The Art of Reconnaissance_

* * *

The next day's work was to complete the canvas, which Elsa did not infuse with the qualities her imagination had yearned for the previous evening. As was their convention, they took turns painting and being the model for the other's—though as often, Anna would paint some simple landscape or a bowl of fruit. She was capable of so much more, but being in the presence of such greatness as Elsa Maurer robbed her of the will to test her mettle.

Today, she had been asked to don a toga and pose with one hand ascended. She didn't ask why; it didn't matter. Any fool knew Elsa would turn a simple pose like that into unbridled artistry and make it look easy in the doing.

"You twitched your nose."

"Sorry," Anna whispered, ducking her head very briefly before correcting it to its previous position. "Here, right?"

"Just so, _oui."_ As she resumed painting, she cleared her throat before asking, "That toga… you looked like you wanted to groan when I asked you to wear it, but kept silent."

"What? N-no, of course not! It's lovely, I… well… it's a bit unconventional for our day and age, isn't it? I'm not in a stage production." Then she hurriedly followed up with, "But I don't mind wearing it for your art, of course. Don't think that, _s'il-vous-plaît_ _!"_

"Ah, _ma chérie_ ," Elsa began—the unbidden appellation fell tenderly from her lips, "you truly are the kindest… the most considerate… _la fille la plus adorable_ I've ever met." Her eyes twinkled as if the stars themselves had alighted within them, and her mouth was stretched into the widest of smiles.

Anna, thoroughly flustered, replied, "O-Oh… oh… ummmm… Thank you." Her cheeks flushed, highlighting the freckles sprinkled heavily across them.

"There… hold that." The expression seemed to please the eminent artist. Whatever she had intended to paint before now fled like the night before the rising sun when she glimpsed the blushing smile of her muse, and she set to work.

" _O-oui,"_ Anna breathed, clearly even more nervous at being told how nervous she was leant itself to creation. As Elsa painted, she grew warmer and warmer. Butterflies filled her stomach, and she was breathing harder, heart pounding so hard it could be seen in the twitching in her neck of a vein that sent blood coursing through her entire body—even down into…

"Roxanna." The interruption spared her trying to come up with another thought to cut off the ones she had been drifting dangerously close to a moment ago. "What sort of clothes _do_ you prefer? Out of curiosity."

The question caught her unawares. "Me? Oh… any clothes are better than none. Most of the time," she added with a titter. When Elsa stopped painting to fix her with an affronted glare, she again dipped her head in chagrin. "A-alright. Well, the common clothes I have are fine, of course. But… oh, I should love to have something fancy, with ruffs and cuffs, and wings at the shoulders! _Ce serait magnifique, ce serait beau!"_

"So like an angel?" Elsa continued painting.

"W-Well, sure, but let's make it simple. Simple but fancy."

"I'm not sure how that'll work."

She groaned, having a huge temptation to roll her eyes. "You're the artist, you'll do just fine."

"I've always thought you're much more suited to wear a uniform… Like our king?"

Anna raised her eyebrow and lowered it immediately after experiencing another cold glare from Elsa."H-Henry the Second? Oh lord, I would look hideous."

"I have great imaginations, Anna, I doubt you'd look as hideous as you said you'd be."

"Well, he does. Kind of."

Elsa laughed. "Watch it, he'll behead you."

She rolled her eyes at the empty threat, trying not to smile too much and ruin the paintings. "My, such ghastly talk this early in the day…"

"Oh?" Another chuckle fell from the blonde's lips. "And what sort of talk would you prefer? Philosophy? Literature? Our patron's horrid taste in fashion?"

Doing her best to titter without moving unduly, Anna said, "Not his fashion, but… I adore poetry. I used to read books of it when I was a girl, before… well, before."

Elsa's brush hovered where it was about to touch the canvas. Anytime Anna came close to broaching the subject of her upbringing, she withdrew into her shell like a frightened tortoise. Eyes glancing over, she mercifully granted her the reprieve by instead commenting, "Your arm should be more gracefully arced."

"Oh? Like this?" Elsa shook her head, so Anna tried again. "Here?"

"No, like- here." Laying aside her brush and palette, she rounded her easel and gently began to pose Anna's arm very gently. "Just up, and maybe a little this way. And don't be so stiff with your wrist."

"It's hard not to be, when I have to sit here for ages on end." At Elsa's snort, she added, "Again, it's a privilege, but… a painful privilege."

Nodding, Elsa then moved her hands down. "As long as I'm here…" She tucked Anna's shoulders back, reached down to pull her waist forward. Angled her leg more to one side. Anna took all of this in stride, practiced as she was at being a glorified mannequin for her fellow artist's use. "There."

"Do you want to cover me in candle wax to hold me in this shape?" she jested.

"Maybe later." Again, Elsa caught herself flashing one of her roguish grins, and squashed it as quickly as she could. That was not a habit she wanted coming back to haunt her—not after she took so much pains to move away from that old life! Instead, she fixed a pleasant smile on her face and tilted Anna's face up…

And saw that she had not been quite fast enough. The young redhead had most certainly picked up on this flirtation, whereas she had either missed or laughed off all the others. The look in her aquamarine eyes told her that she was decidedly uncertain whether or not she had imagined the entire thing… but the suspicion was planted.

Elsa wasn't quite sure how she was feeling with Anna's face in her fingers, and they were _this_ close. "You… might want to stay still for a moment. Try your best," she said and the wording was quite confusing as it might've led to something else other than art. Elsa was fast enough to pick that up, and looked away.

Anna knew that look of uncertainty… but there was this adoring gaze in her eyes. She smiled, lovingly. _"_ _Ma chère_ _…"_

Elsa wasn't quite sure if she heard that correctly. _"Quoi?"_

"Go paint, I'll stay completely still."

That wasn't what she heard but… it eased the tension. Quickly, she got back to the canvas and her fingers had no way of holding the brush. Taking a deep breath, counting to ten, she looked back to see Anna in the same position but with a grin. God, this woman would mean death for her.

"Be still."

"I will, don't worry."

Mercifully, the next few minutes passed by in uninterrupted silence as Elsa worked her craft. _Had this been created centuries upon centuries before, it certainly would've been sacrilege,_ she couldn't help but think as her eyes roved over Anna's painted form. Indeed, the girl could have very well rivaled the ancients' portrayals of the goddess of love. Aphrodite, Venus...The rippling toga that could only _hint_ at the promise of her artful curves, the graceful arc of her arm, fingers come-hither—

Her hand froze, poised over painted Anna's hooded gaze and enticing smirk, promising... _more_.

"Are you done?" she heard the real Anna ask. "You stopped."

Startled by the question, Elsa's shaking hands grasped for the turpentine and the rag she kept around for instances just such as these. She had to destroy the evidence. No one could see the look she had brought to life on the face of someone who was… only a pupil to her. A _protégée_ _,_ someone she was supposed to foster into the world of art.

And someone she was supposed to gift-wrap for her wealthy benefactor. So much the worse if he were to see this… but she couldn't just destroy it, could she?

"What is it?" came the voice from her ear—causing her to leap out to the side, away from the easel, the paints… and Anna, who had come around to find out why she looked so panicked.

"Now, wait," Elsa began in a strained voice. "You mustn't- my work, it's not finished, y-you aren't supposed to see—

"It's beautiful, as always. But I can't help but notice…" The delicate hand gestured vaguely at the face, and she leaned in to gaze more closely. Inspecting her own apparent desire in the viewer. "Well… I can't imagine who you intend to buy _this_ painting, but I'm not sure I want to meet them! What a letch they must be!"

Biting her tongue, Elsa shot, _What a letch, indeed,_ at herself internally. She was mortified, and wanted to run screaming from the room, but that would only give Anna more cause to question her motives. Even so, she still found herself opening up her mouth and saying something much more damning than fleeing.

"It's not for sale."

Anna was confused, blinking once, twice… and yet, she just couldn't understand. Why spend the effort on making something so beautiful, and not gain any money from it? It was a stupid move, Anna thought. But she was sure Elsa had a reason for it… a reason that Anna just couldn't make sense out of.

"Not…Oh, is it a gift?"

"Not a gift." Anna frowned and noticed Elsa looking quite uncomfortable for once.

"Then what for?"

" _Mon Dieu, Anna…"_ she sighed, fingers rubbing her tight temples. "It's… really nothing you should be concerned about."

Even more curious now. "Now, I'm actually concerned. What's it for? Who are you giving it to?"

"Nobody! It's for…" Elsa paused and she knew, she had just crossed the line. But it was too late, with the overly curious Anna and the mouth that she just couldn't keep shut.

"Me." They were both startled out of their thoughts by the interruption—neither of them had heard Hans open the door, let alone enter the room. "Elsa was painting this for my _private collection_." He smirked.

"O-oh!" Anna laughed gaily, indulging him as always. "What a flatterer! Or a scoundrel! I can't decide!"

Chuckling under his breath, he walked up to the painting and inspected Elsa's work. _"Parfait_ , I love it! You brought out the passion in her eyes so effectively."

Implication lurked within his tone, but Elsa was much more used to concealing her inner heart from Hans than from Anna. By the time he looked to her again, she was standing aloof, gazing at nothing. "Well, I knew all too well what you would want, pig. But… yes, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out. Shall I have it sent directly to your rooms once it's dry?"

"Oh, no… no, no, no, it will be shown off in Orléans! Not for sale, as you said, but I must allow people to gaze upon the beauty of our dear Anna before she is hidden away in my home forever." As he spoke, his hand took Anna's and left a chaste kiss on its back, and she tittered obediently.

Knowing her place. Trained. That nearly angered Elsa enough to bring the canvas down over his head, but she suppressed that desire, as she did all of her desires. _Panache_ was one thing, but recklessness and rage were to be managed, not given free reign. No matter how much she wanted to remove his hand from her elbow, to prevent him from steering her from the room and toward the parlour, where he could ply her with drinks and attempt his own brand of charm.

"This is your fault, you know," she snapped at the "come hither" version of Anna on her easel before storming out of the room like a bull in the streets of Pamplona.

* * *

Elsa, alone back in their shared room, wallowed in her own misery.

 _Why?_ She asked herself, as her tears trailed over the crest of her pale cheeks—meandering their way down until they fell to her bed.

 _Why does she hold such sway over me?_

 _Why can I not control myself around her?_

She felt a stray tear fall onto her hands. _Why am I crying over this?_

She clasped and unclasped her hands repeatedly, wringing them together each time they met.

 _Why did that BRANLEUR PRÉTENTIEUX have to choose HER?_

 _And that painting… Bon Dieu, that painting!_

Drying her eyes on the hem of her paint-stained long-sleeved shirt, Elsa rubbed all over her face and crossed to the window. The painting was far more telling than anything else she had done, and she was positive Hans knew it—or suspected, at the very least. As her knuckles turned white from gripping the sill, she tried to alter how she thought about Anna, roll back the tide… and it worked, to a degree.

 _Anna is part of my job now. I will help bring her and Hans together, and get my own chateaux, and be done with this abominable situation for good. She is… more enamoured of him, anyway. This is in everyone's best interests. Especially mine._

Again, she had to admonish herself; Anna was _only_ enamoured of Hans! The young _mademoiselle_ was not a deviant like her, there was no sense in agonising over such a matter when it was entirely irrelevant. Swearing under her breath, she stomped off toward the bathing room to cleanse both body and mind.

Two hours later, Elsa was well-scrubbed and lounging easily in a chair in the corner of their room, a book open in her lap and a glass of wine balanced in one hand, garbed in another loose white shirt and trousers. After the refreshing bath, she had finally been able to focus on François Villon's verses instead of obsessing over the worst aspects of her current state of living. The dark subject matter helped with said distraction.

Alas, she was then distracted from the distraction. As was her wont, Roxanna strolled into the room at a late hour wearing a pristine chemise and her hair in simple braids for sleep, slippered feet dancing over the hardwood. One of Hans's parties always put her in such a pleasant mood.

Elsa paused, knowing that once her _protégée_ realized that she was awake, she was apt to launch into a recount of the evening's festivities—something she decidedly _did not_ want to hear, particularly after the day's events.

Unconsciously, her eyes trailed over Anna's slim womanly figure. The forest green chemise loosely cascaded around the hips then became more form-fitting as it moved up her torso to conform around her bosom—as if sculpted there—where Elsa's eyes lingered before she snapped out of her trance.

She rapidly shifted her gaze upwards to see that Anna was still distractedly arranging things around her bedside—she was not as fastidious as Elsa about keeping her living area tidy.

 _Thank the heavens._

"Oh, how I love a ball," Anna sighed as she finally sat on her bed, leaning back on her palms to gaze up at the canopy overhead. "I never thought I'd get to attend one, and now… my luck has changed so much! Bordeaux and caviar, and every variety of pastry! And the _music!"_

"Indeed," Elsa grunted, tipping her glass up to drain the last of the wine. There was a long silence, and Elsa had assumed Anna was merely reflecting on the evening… but when she glanced up, she saw the girl watching her with a curious, level gaze. "What?"

Leaning on her elbow, she rolled slightly to look at her roommate more properly. "You don't, though. You find parties completely tedious. Does that mean… you were _aristocratie_ in _Allemagne?"_

"Oh, hardly; I was as hard-working with a brush as I am here. Though decidedly better off than you were before Hans plucked you from the gutter."

Anna's face fell. "Y-yes. I am grateful for that, I was… worthless."

"That isn't what I meant," she corrected, setting the glass aside. "Just that… I was only speaking about monetary status, not true worth. Your heart is more precious than gold when weighed against others." But the instant she had finished speaking, she clamped her lips shut. That was just a hair too far.

Anna stared at her, shock clearly written across her face. "You…" she began hesitantly, "you truly believe that... don't you?" Her voice was low, timid even.

Elsa could only nod, for fear of anything further slipping unbidden past her lips. Her face was already alighted with a warm rose across her cheeks. She could only count her stars that the corner she occupied was relatively dark—the light she had read by came from behind her, concealing her tell.

She cleared her throat, shaky fingers reaching up to turn a page in her book with feigned nonchalance. "I've encountered many characters of dubious repute before we ever met, Anna. Trust me when I say that you are a veritable star amidst the darkness of France."

Elsa bit her tongue this time at the silence that followed, cursing herself in the relative safety of her mind. She had done it again.

"Very well," she heard Anna say at last, and the smile was evident in the lilt of her voice, "I trust you."

 _If only I could trust myself…_ But that thought was unproductive. When she glanced up again, it was to see Anna kicking off her slippers and sliding beneath her sheets, readying for sleep. She raised her voice to ask, "Is the light bothering you?"

"Not at all," she yawned. "It's comforting, knowing you're here. A friendly presence… after all those nights spent alone, afraid…"

"I see." Her eyes returned to the page, but she wasn't taking in any of the words. Only turning that over and over in her mind: Anna found her presence friendly and comforting, instead of threatening. Unwanted. Disgusting. So many adjectives that had applied to her in Germany…

"Elsa?"

" _Oui, ma chère?"_ Again, she mentally kicked herself, but knew it wasn't altogether untoward to say such a thing to a mere friend. Only somewhat. Luckily, she had not slipped again and called her _chérie_ ; that was harder to cover up.

"Do you… have any reservations about… our patron's intentions toward me? Any at all?" Clearing her throat, Anna rolled so she was looking more in her direction. "Your reasons don't have to be made public, I just… want to know what you're feeling about Hans."

 _I feel a great many things towards Hans, most of which lie firmly on the negative side of the spectrum._

"One certainly wouldn't have to worry about lack of food or sleeping on the streets while under his care," Elsa found herself answering as diplomatically as she could. "He is...wealthy. His face leans on the side of decent, though his sideburns leave much to be desired."

A delightful giggle floated from within the auburn-haired _protégée_ 's throat as she doubtless envisioned the furry red monstrosities. "Ahhh, he loves them so! And… I suppose you're right about the rest. At times, I find him very tiresome, but then again, isn't that normal with any relationship?"

"Oh, I don't know. I could never find you tiresome." Clearing her throat self-consciously, she turned the page, even though she wasn't at all certain she had finished what she had been reading on the one previous. "Then again, we are mere colleagues; your relationship with him would no doubt be… quite different. Should it go that route, I mean."

"Very true." Another laugh, more subtle, like a creme sauce brought to a low boil. "Perhaps I should be courting you rather than he."

 _What?_ Elsa looked up sharply from her book. Even in jest, that was a comment that brought heat to her cheeks. Maybe Anna wasn't intending to tease, but she had accomplished it effortlessly. Which may have been the motivating factor behind her following comment.

"Perhaps so. After all, I am wearing trousers."

Elsa paused a moment hesitantly while she watched for the young woman's reaction—of which there was none visible—before she continued with the jest, "Though, I believe custom would dictate that I should be the one to court you."

"Then you had better hurry up, before Hans beats you to my hand in marriage." Anna's tone was light, but not as light as before. There was the possibility—miniscule, but real—that she wasn't being entirely sarcastic.

"If I thought I could provide a better life for you than he, I might consider it…"

They both fell silent. The entire room was now a mausoleum as the tone shifted from whimsical to urgently oppressive. The lantern behind Elsa's head flickered ominously, casting stark shadows out across her page from her hands. They looked gnarled and twisted, like trees along the shores of the River Styx.

"Elsa…" Her voice held a hint of sadness. "Hopefully you won't tease me for this—well, or you will. But… if you were a lord, I would have been yours already. You're the only true friend I have in the world, and… and oh, how I wish I could marry a man who would be a friend to me the way you are."

Elsa's frenzied heart nearly gave out, an immediate stop. This was the first time they'd had such private conversations together—a conversation through which Elsa could only assume that Hans… just wasn't right for her. But it was rather a bold assumption to entertain.

And that grin! It was adoring, but Elsa knew that behind it lay confusion.

"And if I could… If it wasn't a man, I'd rather it be you."

She twitched.

It felt as if a vice of some sort had clamped around her throat, for she could offer no words in reply. Again, she thanked the darkness for hiding the heat rapidly consuming her face, though she wouldn't be surprised if her cheeks could provide a glow all their own with how brightly they burned. Those thoughts that had earned her hushed whispers and second glances back at Germany pushed with greater insistence at the edges of her mind.

A snore reached her ears, startling her out of her stunned stupor.

It seemed Anna had been too exhausted by the festivities to continue further...thankfully.

 _Mon Dieu, what on earth am I doing?_ she swore at herself, shoving the book onto the floor and pulling her legs up into the chair. _Am I really so very weak as this?_

* * *

Six days and many scattered conversations later, Elsa had gleaned a fair bit of information from the hapless young thing across her chambers. During painting sessions, meals, even dressing, she tried to slip in at least one question about her secret desires, her hopes and dreams, her likes and dislikes. It made her feel distinctly dirty to go rooting through her wardrobe to find what sizes she wore, but she did the deed—all for the sake of her commission.

That it gave her the opportunity to brush against Anna's undergarments was something she took great pains not to view as a fringe benefit.

As fate would have it, a box arrived at the door when Hans was meeting with his all-too-important father, hobnobbing with nobility of which a common girl such as Anna would not be allowed to come within a hundred paces. Therefore, there was no real chance for Elsa to squirrel it away before she was asking.

"What's in the box?"

In vain, Elsa tried to hide it behind her back. Her mind raced for an answer that wouldn't have the girl's suspicion piqued, but judging by Anna's narrowed eyes and mischievous smirk, it would be of little use to deflect at this point. Especially with Anna stepping closer, and Elsa retreating until her back hit the nearest wall with a dull thud, the box's edges digging into that very back.

"It _has_ to be something good," her _protégée_ teased, voice adopting a more melodic tone, "Come on, let me see!"

Elsa laughed nervously and gripped onto the side of the box, tightly. She felt Anna's hands on top of hers.

"Come on, Elsa! I want to know!"

"I-I'll show you if you could just step away for a second because…" Elsa suddenly became very conscious of how close the two of them were, struggling and fighting for the box that Elsa would eventually show. After all, it was Anna's little gift and it should've been a surprise. And Anna's eyes were clear, looking straight into her own.

"Because?"

Her heart quickened when she too aware of the warm body that was pressed against hers and the arms that was reaching behind her, hugging her.

The silence was deafening with laughters that faded with each second that passed, and every breath taken.

 _God, too close… it shouldn't be like this._

"F-fine!" Elsa burst out, only to get Anna to stop making her life into a waking version of many dreams she had tried so hard to forget. "Get off me and I'll show you, even though I'm not supposed to!"

A pang of regret flooded through her when Anna stepped back, but it was easily soothed by the relief that she wouldn't have to keep enduring that exquisite torture any longer. However, before she could produce the box, Anna's smile slipped a notch. "Oh… why Elsa, you look so flushed. Are you alright? Did I… that is, I wasn't trying to upset you—do you have a heart problem?"

"No, I… no. I'm fine, just… not used to playing like children." When the freckle-faced girl winced, Elsa felt guilty for making it sound like she was disapproving, so she followed up by bringing the box around from her back. "Alright, I did promise—but you _have_ to act surprised when Hans gives them to you."

"Gives… me what?" Her eyes sparkled, and Elsa wanted to dive into them. "Gives me what, what, _what?!"_

Slowly, the lid was tipped open, and Anna gasped. Inside was a wooden box with a glass pane set into the lid, so that the contents were clearly visible. However, what she said was both amusing and underwhelming.

"What… is that in there? Dirt?"

" _Mon Dieu_ , of course it's not dirt!" Elsa exclaimed before she could help herself, fighting back the urge to laugh in the girl's face. It would be rude, for one, and she already felt guilty enough as it was. The pout on Anna's face told her she must be close in failing to do so.

"The Spaniards call it _chocolatl_ ," the blonde explained, "Someone found a way to harden them into a more solid shape—they're a lot easier to smuggle in this form rather than carrying it in a flask."

Anna's teal eyes widened as she leaned forward. "Are you saying...these are _illegal?_ " she whispered in what seemed like mock horror. Already her lips had curved back into a mischievous smirk, and those eyes dropped down to regard the treats with new interest. That smirk faltered a little as her brow furrowed. "These... _can_ be eaten, yes? You mentioned a flask, so…"

"Of course," Elsa all but snorted, and a slight smile found its way onto her face. "Would you...like a taste?"

Anna pondered, glaring at the solid brown substances that were shaped as little pebbles. She did find the smell quite… irresistible and fragrant, but she honestly wouldn't know what it'd taste like. Dear God, it looked like feces to her and it probably would taste like one too!

"H-Have you tasted them?"

Elsa blinked. "No, but I've heard they're very sweet and delicious."

Anna was even more suspicious as Elsa took a piece out, motioning it towards her. "Y-You said, Hans was supposed to be taking it to surprise me right? I shouldn't be eating one."

"Anna, it's just one, I'm sure Hans wouldn't even notice one is missing." She grinned. "I think you'll be more excited to know that you'll be having more later if you take this one."

"How would you know?"

Elsa shrugged. "Pure guess."

Still dubious, Anna took the offered bit. It felt a bit like chalk to her, but also began to melt very slightly the longer she held it. And while the look of it was unappealing, the smell it released was somehow the most divine thing she had ever scented on the air.

"Well… _Allons-y!"_ Then she tipped it up into her mouth.

Smiling, Elsa watched the expression slowly morph from puzzlement, to clarity, to overwhelming joy. A sound not unlike a moan floated between them, and Elsa stubbornly kept her thoughts civil. Anna's eyes slid closed as she swayed back and forth, completely lost in the whirlwind of new sensation.

"So then… better than dirt?"

"Better than anything! Oh, Elsa, I can't believe this exists—and I've never had it before! Can this be real?" She spun around once, laughing gleefully, then came to a stop gazing at her mentor. "Try some! _Dieu,_ it's so good!"

Shaking her head very gently, Elsa eased the lid closed. "One and one only; otherwise the box will look too empty, and Hans will blame me for letting you glimpse the package early."

"Aww… but you can't go without trying this, you absolutely…" Then she spied the smears of sweetness on her thumb and forefinger. Without another thought in her head, she thrust them toward Elsa's face. "Go on—at least this much, you have to!"

Elsa's face flushed yet again. "I-I…" she stammered.

"Elsa, _s'il-vous-plaît…_ you must try some." Anna forcefully pushed her forefinger into Elsa's mouth, onto her tongue.

She realized that she was _not_ being given a choice in the matter, and slowly rolled her tongue around the appendage. The sensation of the _chocolatl_ combined with the soft warmth of Anna's finger _inside her mouth_ was too much for her—a deep moan escaped her.

Elsa froze in horror at the slip, certain that Anna would immediately recoil and disgust would finally take its place on her face...but instead the girl simply pressed her finger more insistently. Her gaze flicked up, heat gathering upon her cheeks at the unexpected action, and noticed that a similar flush had settled on Anna's freckled visage.

 _I...I have to stop this._

Elsa pulled away, mouth parting at the same time Anna withdrew her finger. She kept her gaze firmly fixed on the box in her hands as the seconds passed. Her heartbeat felt impossibly loud in her ears, threatening to drown out the myriad of thoughts spiraling about in her head.

"This… I'm sorry, I-I didn't—"

"No, it's… it's fine."

Elsa couldn't help feeling the intense gaze of Anna's crawling up her skin and God, she could still taste the sweetness of the _chocolatl_ —possibly even the sweetness of Anna's finger. No, she shouldn't be thinking like this… shouldn't even have acted so… so indecent. Anna was going to be someone else's wife!

 _But if she were yours…_

Elsa forcibly shoved the errant thought to the deepest corner of her mind, her grip tightening on the box in her hands. With great effort, she managed a calm, "I'll bring these to his quarters."

"But you haven't eaten the _chocolatl_ off my thumb…" Anna even proffered it, ready to please.

"You eat it, I… just too sweet for my palate." This technically was not a lie; having Anna in the mix sweetened it drastically, yes. It was the reason she could not have any more. "Maybe another time. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

And this time, Anna let her go, a confused and wistful expression haunting her eyes. Elsa did not look back to examine it, only stubbornly put one foot in front of the other until she was gone from that abominable situation.

The situation… and the dangerous possibilities it held.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill


	3. The Art of Courtship

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 3**

 _The Art of Courtship_

* * *

"Oh, Hans! It's…what is it?" True to her promise, Anna feigned surprise at the sight of the _chocolatl_ , going so far as to tilt her head and examine the treats from every conceivable direction. Off to the side, Elsa suppressed a chuckle behind her hand—Hans wouldn't be able to tell, but she knew that the girl was investing just _a little_ too much into her performance. As it were, he was about as blind as the king to the plight of the poor; grinning triumphantly at the apparent success of 'his' gift.

"It's called _chocolatl_ , my dear. Brought from the far reaches of Spain, just for you!" Hans said, giving another flourish of his hand. "I doubt you would find anything sweeter than this in all of France."

Anna's gaze met hers over the man's shoulders, a knowing twinkle in her eye, and Elsa smirked. _Poor Hans de Neuvillette...Had you bothered to procure them yourself, perhaps you would have been spared of this embarrassing performance._ She rolled her eyes at him, silently urging her _protégée_ to maintain her facade of incredulity.

"Elsa, would you like one too?"

Elsa looked up suddenly at the sound of Anna's voice calling to her from across the room. _Should I? I suppose she is offering, it would only be polite… Not that I think I could refuse her something as trivial as this, anyway._ Her cheeks were alighted by a faint blush.

" _S'il-vous-plaît_. That is most generous of you to share your gift with me, _mademoiselle_ Roxanna."

She walked over to join the pair. While she did so Anna took a piece from the box between thumb and forefinger as she had earlier that day, and held it out for Elsa to eat. Elsa smiled warmly at the memory, though her cheeks warmed slightly further than they already were.

As she gently took the piece from Anna, carefully ensuring that she did not touch the young girl's hand while she did so, she quietly uttered, "Thank you."

She took a small bite of the _chocolatl_ , and let it melt a bit in her mouth to test the flavour when it was not on the finger of the beautiful woman in front of her. By no means did it compare favourably. _On it's own, this is quite… amer, nothing like_ —She was not finishing that train of thought at that moment, even as her cheeks darkened to a rose tint.

"If-If you'll please excuse me..." she started, as she tried to get herself out of the room, "I don't believe I'm feeling quite myself this evening. I'd like to return to my room."

"Was it not to your liking?" Anna asked hurriedly—and with very slightly too much urgency.

"It was. I've… never had anything like that. But again, I feel faint and should like to lie down."

As she retreated, she heard Hans offer an insincere "Feel better, Madame Maurer," but made no move to return the sentiment. There was no true need.

An hour or so later, Anna returned to their shared chamber to find Elsa did, indeed, lie down on her bed. Still dressed in the rather plain clothing usually reserved for peasant males, she gazed at the ceiling, spread-eagle and dazed. No will to move, to paint, to read… anything. Her head was too awash with worries and impossible possibilities for her to settle to any one thing.

"Again," Anna sighed as she sank down onto the bed next to her, "you didn't get my thumb."

"Your what?" she asked in a dazed tone.

"The melted _chocolatl_ on my thumb. I keep having to lick it off myself." She let out a snort as she reached up to unpin the complicated bun at the nape of her neck. "Our patron did not even think to offer the same service; he's rather short-sighted that way."

Elsa's eyes raked over the waves of gentle auburn that unfurled slowly at the prompting of nimble fingertips, imagined them as a waterfall of scarlet crashing over befreckled crags into the sea below. The urge to paint rose powerfully in her, swelled, and then receded; perhaps another time.

In that same brief span of time, her face flushed rose again.

"I-I… What?"

She snapped out of her dazed state, and rapidly turned her head to face Anna. Recognition of what Anna so plainly stated flashed through Elsa's eyes in a flurry of emotions—confusion, amazement, mortification, terror, joy, _love, want_.

She stammered in disbelief, "Y-y-you… you _want_ me to… t-to do… _t-that?_ _A-again?_ "

The smirk that spread across Anna's face was only bemused. _"Je déconne! Plaisante._ You're far too serious all the time, Elsa…" One of her shoulders shrugged very slightly. "Not that I minded you doing it, but obviously I don't expect you to again."

Curiosity exploded within Elsa's chest, so powerfully it could not be ignored. Before she could let something as annoying as rational thought get in the way, she asked, "But did you _enjoy_ it?"

"You're awful," Anna giggled as she swatted her knee, standing up to approach her wardrobe and nip a chemise out from inside to change into after her bath. "Always teasing me."

"Well, I was under the impression you liked the teasing," she pushed. Stupidly. Idiotically. "If you don't, I shall of course stop at once."

The look Anna shot over her shoulder as she added her slippers to the armload should have been disapproving, or reassuring. Instead… there was a coquettish spice to the always-simmering roux of emotions in the younger woman's features now.

"Who said I wanted you to stop?" Her eyes remained on Elsa until she got to the door and slipped out, leaving Elsa completely befuddled.

Elsa, once again left alone with her clouded thoughts, returned to dazedly staring at the ceiling.

She rolled the events through her mind backwards, in an attempt to decipher what exactly had just occurred. _She doesn't want me to stop teasing. And that look… DIEU, that look—what WAS that?_ She felt her heart race, slamming itself against her ribcage. _And… she… she didn't say 'no'—_

She suddenly froze, her thoughts halted as though they had just slammed up against a brick wall. Her heart felt like it had just jumped up into her throat.

Either way, she knew the distinct feeling of falling in love and this was it. She held her hand up to her chest, eyes staring emptily at the closed door in front of her. It conflicted her. It wasn't her teasing Anna anymore, it was the other way around and Elsa just couldn't stand it.

She looked down, sighing. _I shouldn't have done that earlier…_

But regrets were for the weak and the nostalgic. She would simply have to make sure she kept a tighter leash on her feelings from now on.

* * *

Hans never did truly thank Elsa for the gesture of the _chocolatl_ , even though Anna was so obviously pleased by the gift. He simply acknowledged it was a shrewd choice. That was something, at the very least.

When he presented Anna with a necklace of fine silver and cut emerald a few days following—again, selected by her according to Anna's specified tastes—she glowed with appreciation and asked it to be put on her immediately. Afterward, Hans clapped her on the shoulder and reminded her that the château was now even closer to being hers than ever… given that Anna was closer to being his.

All the while, these proclamations began to irritate Elsa even more, and in ways she couldn't explain. The possessiveness he viewed both of them with; not merely Anna, which was bad enough, but herself. She had become his pawn, one he moved across the board to take the enemy queen and make it his own piece. Part of the collection. It churned her stomach, but what else could she do but play the part as she had been cast?

An irritable growl escaped from her lips as she ran a hand through her disheveled hair, peering at the words on the page. She held her quill tightly, poised over the last word, the last stroke...only to furiously cross out the entire line and those preceding the verse. Elsa all but jabbed the quill back into its inkwell, leaning back in her chair and wearily running her non-ink-stained hand down her face.

The words used to flow so easily. After all, writing was merely another form of painting—strokes and curves forming a picture of words. So, then...why was she having such difficulty crafting another poem for Hans to woo Anna over? She had already done so before—had written limericks, sonnets, fashioning their styles after Anna's favorite poets…

But then again...Elsa had not fallen so deeply before. Had not, at last, fully admitted to herself of this... _attraction._

 _I can't do this! Not right now…_

She stared darkly at the wall in front of her, face tightened into a fierce grimace.

She silently cursed to herself—slipping back into use of her mother-tongue, " _Scheissen!_ " Elsa slammed her open palm against the desk in frustration.

"Why? Out of all the people in this vast world, why did I have to fall in love with her?"

She sat in thought for a few brief moments.

With fiery anger behind her voice she uttered, "Why did _HE_ decide to court _her_? He's a wealthy man of good standing… Why would he choose to pursue an _artiste_ —especially one from the streets? He doesn't even love her."

She let her head fall onto her open palms, elbows arched to rest against the desk surface. Tears rapidly streamed from her ice blue eyes, down her pale face and arms, soaking into the parchment. Her thin body shook with the force of her breaths, sobs wracked her chest and throat.

For god knows how long, she cried in anger, tears streaming down her cheeks until she'd fallen asleep on her desk.

The next morning was a loud one when Anna came barging in, sounding obnoxiously loud. "Good morning, Elsa!"

Elsa was startled awake, gasping and groaning as Anna was pounced up behind her, arms around her. Her heart dropped, and she looked out of the windows. "Morning… already…?" She turned to the redhead. She seemed extremely happy for some odd reason.

"Anna…? Why are you here?"

Anna blinked, slowly pulling away. "I thought you have to paint again—wait, why are your eyes red?"

"Oh...just a late night, is all," she managed to say, offering a tired smile in the girl's direction. Her hands moved quickly to crumple the papers scattered across the desk, gathering them into a makeshift ball to dispose later. "Failed ideas—nothing you need to worry about," Elsa elaborated further at the sight of Anna's inquisitive look.

"Please, they can't possibly be that bad under your artful touch," she scoffed, her lips quirking into a smile. The worry in her eyes, however, remained. "Are you...certain you're not feeling unwell?"

Elsa averted her gaze to the crumpled papers in her hands. "I'm fine, Anna."

"But—"

"Anna… is there something you want to tell me?" Elsa looked at her, nearly pleading for her to say something she wanted to hear. Anna's smile turned into a frown, watching Elsa lean against her desk, hands holding the edge. The look Elsa had was nothing she had seen before. Desire. Anger. Grief.

"What…" Anna chuckled nervously. "Do you?"

Elsa shrugged, turning her eyes to her hand, knuckles white at the tight hold. "When you said… you'd rather have me court you… were you joking?"

"I don't understand… Elsa, what are you saying? Are you okay?" Anna put her hand on top of Elsa's and she flinched. Elsa didn't answer her, eyes to her hand caressing her own. She was empty from any emotions and letting out a chuckle, she figured it sounded nothing that seemed to be joyful.

"Stop playing with my feelings," she whispered to herself.

"W-What?"

"I retract what I said before," Elsa continued quietly, "Perhaps I _am_ feeling unwell."

"Elsa?"

Elsa sighed. "I think you should go."

"No." Anna was quick to grab hold of Elsa's hand and her eyebrows furrowed from worry to frustration. "Do you always run away like this? Elsa, you… is it me? Is this why you've been acting so strange around me lately? What have I done?"

She'd done many things that had made Elsa's blood rush to her brain, her heart beating and breaking each time she comes and goes. But this… having Anna say something as to wanting Elsa to court her, rather than to have some rich guy who found her in the streets to… Elsa felt as if she'd explode if this was to get a little more further.

"It's you," she answered boldly, but her voice was timid and quiet. It was filled with irritation. "It has always been you… and have you not noticed the way you've been acting towards me…?"

Elsa swallowed hard, clenching and unclenching her hands. "Can't you see what being around you does to me?"

" _...lsa...Elsa!"_

She jerked awake, blue eyes flying open to see Anna's concerned face hovering before her. Hands grasped tightly at her shoulders, shaking her again for good measure. The events of her apparent dream flitted through her mind, and Elsa reached a hand up to her forehead, cursing quietly.

 _Have I been so wrapped up in these thoughts swirling about that I can no longer distinguish fact from fiction?_

"Elsa, I think you need to rest," she heard Anna say, and those hands tugged at her, urging her towards her bed. "Again. Rest again, I mean. You swooned just now! How hard have you been working yourself lately?"

 _Not hard enough if you continue to haunt my thoughts both day and night._

Elsa groaned, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm… I'm fine. I was up.. thinking about something." She shouldn't have said that because right this moment, Anna had a frown over her face, and her grip tightened on her arms.

"You had a dream… of some sort. Mumbling about—"

"Anna, it's nothing. I'm fine." But she was already pushed down in bed, and a blanket covering her warmly. She could fall asleep right this instant, but with Anna around… she couldn't do anything other than to wanting her to be around her more… only if Anna realized how Elsa was feeling.

"Elsa?"

"Anna, for the last time I'm fine, I just need some rest," Elsa hesitantly reassured.

 _Enough rest to put me out of this nightmare._

Anna tried to put a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder, but she quickly backed away from the touch.

She sighed before she brought the subject up, "You were mumbling and muttering a little. Something about Hans, paintings, and you kept saying my name a lot…" she trailed off.

"Just...let me rest Anna, please. I'm usually not myself after working so long." And with that, Elsa buried herself under the covers hiding every inch of her face from Anna. She faintly heard a stutter from the redhead before she quietly stood up from the bed and headed towards the door.

Elsa wasn't sure whether her mind was playing with her again. It was difficult enough having such unrequited feelings towards the girl, but Anna's next question put her in a rather uncomfortable position.

"Um, Elsa? What do you think of Hans?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" Elsa got up from under the covers, rather quickly, but carefully. Anna would have stopped there and left Elsa to continue her rest, but the back of her mind was too curious, too persistent to let the subject go.

"It's just, you've been acting strange these past few days whenever I'm with him. I don't know if this marriage would be a good idea," Anna continued.

A part of Elsa wanted to feel relieved. Maybe Anna could back out of the marriage? Maybe she didn't have to be with Hans. Maybe she could finally stop putting herself through a masochistic struggle.

"What makes you say that?" Elsa replied, keeping her excitement low key.

"Well," Anna started playing with the sheets of the bed, "I just thought, are you envious of my spending time with Hans?"

 _More than anything. Why should you be with sideburns? The fool doesn't even love you like I do._

But before Elsa could give her response, Anna spoke. "...because if you feel that way. I could stop seeing him...if it's for the best."

 _Yes, please!_

Elsa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"...so that you could be with him."

Nevermind the last thought. Now, Elsa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Elsa was dumbfounded. To Anna, she was deadpanned, but internally she wanted to laugh to high heaven.

 _Hans? And me? Anna, you know how to give a good laugh._

"No...no, Anna. It's not like that. I'm sure that whatever you and Hans have, it would be for the best. I mean, you love him, right?" Elsa asked, trying to sound supportive.

Anna hesitated a little, trying to find the best words to say.

"Then why have you been so… unlike yourself lately?" Anna demanded, growing frustrated. Seemed she had finally reached the end of her tether. "All this… muttering, whispers, you falling asleep at your desk, becoming flustered over a little chocolatl! I'm concerned."

A hollow little laugh sailed out of her. "Anna… how can you think it had anything to do with what was on your finger?"

"Then I… what, embarrassed you? By feeding you as I would feed a baby?"

Against her will, an image of Anna _truly_ feeding her as she would feed a baby flitted through Elsa's mind, and she had to immediately speak before the image took root. "Enough! Just… stop pressing this matter, it is none of your concern! I am allowed a few eccentricities, am I not? I am _artiste!_ It is part and parcel for those with my occupation!"

"Why do you keep glancing at my chest? Did I spill something?"

"OUT!" Elsa shouted as her face further reddened, gesturing violently toward the door. "I… I need rest, as you so accurately assessed! So let me rest and… and go on about your business!"

"And what if it is my business to know what your business is?" Anna retorted, raising her voice. "We're...We're partners in this, aren't we? And I—"

A knock on the door interrupted whatever she wanted to say next.

Pouncing on the chance to escape this unending nightmare, Elsa called out, "What is it?"

"'Tis I, your favourite _monsieur,_ my sweets!" Hans chortled, without a care in the world. "I have a gift for one of you!"

"You really shouldn't have!" Elsa answered drily. Still, she turned to Anna, raising an eyebrow as if to goad her into opening the door.

"This conversation is not finished," Anna told her with a pout of her lips. "Something is bothering you, and I want to understand… and I shall." Then she went to open the door, already nothing but smiles when Hans's visage appeared framed by the portal through which he walked, holding a long garment bag that nearly brushed the floor.

"It has arrived!" he announced with a spring in his step. Elsa would not have been surprised if he were to _tour jete_ his way into the room rather than walk. "The seamstresses have managed the impossible, I'm overjoyed!"

Taking quick little hops, Anna gazed at the undisclosed item with raw adoration. "Oooh, what is it, what is it?!"

Grinning at the girl's enthusiasm, Hans held the garment bag out for her to take. "See for yourself, my dear."

Of course, once Anna carefully opened the bag and withdrew what was hiding inside, there was a gasp of delight as her hands ran up and down the fabric of her new dress. Ruffs, cuffs, and wings, and bedecked in all manner of green and yellow tints that suited her hair and complexion perfectly. A small bit of royal purple here and there even seemed to hint that she was far above her true status—which had been something subtle Elsa wanted there, because if anyone deserved to be elevated…

"Ohhhh… it's gorgeous! _Absolument parfait, je vous remercie!"_ Awed completely, she turned and studied the effect when draped against her body in the mirror, and caught Elsa's eyes in the glass. Holding her gaze in this way, she said, "Thank you so much! I will always think of you when I wear it."

Again and so easily, the German felt her pulse thundering in her ears. That couldn't mean what Anna seemed to intend… could it? Had she figured out their ruse and was merely playing along?

"Are you two going to stay in here long? Because I need to rest." Elsa crossed her arms, eyes flicking back and forth between Hans and Anna.

"Oh, um…" Anna turned to her, her grin melting down to a frown. "Yeah… Hans, we should let her rest."

The man's brow furrowed, his green eyes unreadable as he glanced her way. "Is something the matter?"

Elsa waved away whatever concerns—be they real or imaginary—he had, returning to her bed with her back mercifully turned towards them. "Even an _artiste_ requires a break from her craft. And you must admit, the amount of progress you desire each day can be...exhausting if done so continuously." She chanced a brief glance over her shoulder. "I am not a work horse."

Hans held her gaze for a moment, his jaw hardening ever so slightly. "No, you are not," he said at last, heaving a theatrical sigh, "I suppose you've earned a day of rest, then. Come, Anna! Let us allow our dear Elsa to recuperate so that she may inspire us with her talents tomorrow, hm?"

"Yes, let's," Anna sighed, hanging the dress on the back of the closet door for the time being, smoothing it down with her hands. What a relief; she would be leaving, and that would be the end of this.

But once Elsa had crawled into the bed again and pulled the blankets up to her shoulder, she suddenly felt warm lips pressing down against her temple. The same lips that whispered as quietly as was humanly possible a moment later, _"Merci,_ sweet Elsa." Once she pulled back, she added in a louder, gentle voice, "I hope you feel better soon."

Which left a blushing mess in the bed behind them once the door was closed. Fortunately, she had chosen to crawl into the bed facing away from them; she wouldn't have survived that otherwise.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** The Wandering Quill, Cyrianu, forkanna/Jessica-X, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, Brown Turtle


	4. The Art of Indiscretion

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 4**

 _The Art of Indiscretion_

* * *

 _Fingers skimmed across her skin, tracing idle patterns as a hot mouth left a trail of kisses down her neck. A moan fell from her lips once that mouth latched onto a heaving breast, and her back arched off the bed in reply. A hand drifted down, brushing the soft patch between her legs, and her breath hitched sharply._

" _Relax," came the murmur against her skin, and a tongue laved diligently at her stiffened nipple. That hand continued its downward journey, fingers alighting on the wet folds of her womanhood, and she whined, bucking her hips in need._

" _Please…"_

 _The mouth left her breast, retracing its former path to capture her own in a searing kiss that had her toes curling. They parted for air with a gasp, and Anna's hands reached up to tangle themselves in that soft hair, tugging down for another heated kiss._

" _Please_ — _"_

"Excuse me, mademoiselle Roxanna," a voice cut in, and Anna jerked awake, knocking her supplies off the table.

 _Merde… what the hell was that?_

"Mademoiselle, are you alright?"

She looked around her table, groaning at the fallen objects and picked it up. "Yes, Kai, what is it?"

"I'm… terribly sorry for disturbing your sleep." Anna paused and her heart throbbed at the vague memory of hearing moans and feeling the touches that caressed her whole being… and she was naked… Oh God. She hadn't had one of those dreams for a long time. She wondered what could've made her dream something so indecent, but it just felt so _right._

Anna rubbed her eyes. "Y-Yeah, it's fine. I shouldn't be sleeping at this time any way… so, does Hans need me? Or does Elsa?"

"You asked to be woken when it was time for today's sessions with your tutor. That time has come."

"Oh… yes, I remember. Thank you, that will be all." She managed a wan smile as the man retreated from the room.

As she dressed, the dream rolled over in her mind over and over; the warm skin against other skin, hands that could find no permanent rest, her own fingers clenching against soft blonde hair… oh, it had been riveting. Beyond riveting, if she were entirely honest with herself.

Then the bottle of perfume she had been about to open and dab behind each ear fell from her hands, shattering against the floor.

 _Blonde_ hair. That would definitely preclude Hans from behind the object of her nocturnal imaginings.

"Mademoiselle?" Hurried footsteps reached her ears and she heard Kai's muffled voice through the door, his concern evident despite the barrier of wood. "Is everything alright? I heard a dreadful crash."

"No, no!" Anna called, unable to keep her hands from shaking. "I-It's fine! I just dropped a bottle, is all!"

"You are not hurt, are you? Should I fetch—"

"That won't be necessary!" she all but shouted, her voice a pitch higher than normal. A glance at the mirror revealed the bright flush that had claimed her cheeks, and she immediately looked away, gaze dropping to the broken perfume bottle. The aromatic liquid it had previously contained slowly spread out, beginning to seep into the floorboards.

"Well… if you say so!" And she did say so; the room would smell quite powerful from now until when they next cleaned, but there was no need for them to barge in and interrupt her looking like a beetroot. And she needed all the time to compose herself she could get, because after this she would be in Elsa's presence.

Elsa… of course, it was only _likely_ that it had been her in the dream, not a complete certainty. She had never seen the other person clearly. But there were many very important reasons it may have been her. Ones that she had been keeping close to her chest.

And Anna was growing impatient. She had to do something to clear up her possible misunderstanding before she was driven out of her mind with worry. Today, she would try something she had been both dreading and excited about for many weeks… something that would cut through the fog surrounding her thoughts of Elsa—and Elsa's thoughts for her—like a hot knife through butter.

* * *

 _Where is she?_

The frown on Elsa's face deepened as she paused in her restless pacing of the room. Anna should have arrived ten minutes ago, yet there was no sign of her radiant visage anywhere. _Perhaps she forgot,_ the blonde mused, idly picking at the sleeve of the dress she had donned today. Although she preferred the mobility and comfort trousers gave her, personal preference tended to be sacrificed for the sake of art.

 _In more ways than one._

"I'm here!" a familiar voice called, followed almost immediately by the cacophonous sound of the doors forcibly thrown open, ricocheting off the walls. "Sorry I'm late, I—oof!"

One of the doors had bounced back close enough to clip Anna's shoulder, and Elsa found herself instantly rushing forward, hands outstretched to help. "Anna!"

"I'm alright, _ne vous inquiétez pas!"_ she hastily assured her, patting down her hair and touching Elsa lightly on the wrist. "I'm… oh goodness, Elsa. You look… different."

At that, the blonde harrumphed and took her hands away. "I look daft. But for your art, I make sacrifices. Now, shall we get on with it?"

"Not daft. However…"

As Elsa approached the chair draped with clothes that they usually utilised for such purposes, she paused before sitting. "However?"

"You won't be needing the dress today. I've decided to paint a seraphim."

"A seraphim? Ooh, very ambitiou—"

Elsa's heart froze, and seemed to relocate itself to her throat in the same moment. That did not bode well. In fact, there was a very specific thing that seemed to imply, that she could not believe Anna would ask of her. After several attempts to clear her throat, she turned and managed to meet the mischievous, sparkling eyes of her fellow painter.

"You… wish me to pose _nude?!"_

" _Oui!"_ Anna affirmed, nodding her head with perhaps more enthusiasm than needed. Her lips quirked into a smile that matched the impish glint in her eyes. "After all, I wish to hone my craft and I've painted very little by way of the body's... _natural_ form." At Elsa's continued dumbfounded stare, she added, "Besides, that Michelangelo fellow paints them all the time! It's not as if you would be the first to be a nude subject!"

 _No, I wouldn't. But I would be_ your _first, and that is...that is…_

 _That is unbelievable._

Elsa stared into adoring eyes and feet jumping up and down like a child, with this staggering look, still. And it was as if Anna just completely disregarded what happened yesterday. But it wasn't as if Elsa opposed to the idea of posing nude but… Anna would be painting her… looking at her in detail and up front and… how could she be so excited while the poser was feeling quite the opposite? They should be both worried and nervous!

The blonde ran her fingers down her hair, biting her lips. "I… I don't think—"

"You don't want to?" Anna pouted and Elsa's face flushed adorably red.

"No, it's just… I—" God, how could she deny that look! All she needed to know was that Anna was only doing this to paint. Nothing more, nothing less.

 _It's just a painting… just a painting… just a painting…_ She repeated in her head for a couple of thousand times before…

" _Bien,_ I'll do it."

* * *

Anna gasped and her hands clapped together in celebration. _"Ouais!_ We can start now. Right now. Could you… well, I want you to lay on your side, is that alright? O-On the couch." Her cheeks reddened immediately, noticing Elsa unbuttoning the back of the dress she had put on so meticulously. She quickly turned away so that her back faced the blonde. This was harder than she'd thought it'd be. Jesus, maybe it was because of that dream but… her mind was wandering to places where it shouldn't be going and imagining things she shouldn't be imagining!

She gulped, ears perked up as she heard clothes dropping to the ground and shuffling of supplies. Was she naked already? Or had Anna been daydreaming about the body that was on top of her in her dream?

"Laying on my side, okay… And then?"

Still she didn't make an effort to turn. "W-Well, put your arm around your waist and the other one in your hair, w-whichever one that you're propping yourself up with on the couch."

" _Comme ca?"_

Without any thinking or hesitation—because she was too immersed in her daydream that she probably forgot that Elsa was completely bare from any clothes—she turned, and her heart stopped.

Laid out before her was the nude form of her mentor, and a fine form it turned out to be. Anna wasn't sure what she had been expecting; to see a copy of herself with lighter hair, something she wouldn't care one whit about. Instead…

Curves and mountains, valleys and shallows. Supple, flawless skin that stretched out before her from nose to toes. Pink places, sparse freckles on shoulders… more blonde hair than she had seen before. And to the side of it all, the severe but alluring features of her companion, her mentor, splashed with red as she'd never seen before.

Elsa was definitely reacting to this situation the way she had been both hoping and dreading. This went further than mere embarrassment; if it were so, Elsa would be shouting at her, or refusing to do it, or at the very least would look surly as she lay there, exposed. Instead… she seemed merely humbled, and anxious.

"I asked," she finally spoke up when Anna did not comment, "if this was satisfactory?"

"Oh… well, almost. Very nearly so." Pacing forward, she reached toward Elsa's face—

And the woman drew back, flinching. She really _was_ anxious about this situation. They both were, now that it had come about; Anna couldn't deny her own heart racing, the heat haze that seemed to pervade the room without any forewarning. But she had something she needed to do.

"Just this…" Her fingers pulled at Elsa's messy bun until she had freed her blonde locks; then a second hand helped to fluff them out, allow them to spill down her shoulders as they so seldom did. "There… I think that's… just about right."

She never noticed exactly how _blue_ Elsa's eyes were until the flowing locks framing her face brought them out. They seemed to render her immobile, captivating her in a way Hans' unsettling green failed to. And her hair...it felt so soft beneath her fingers, so much like—

A nervous cough jolted her out of her...open admiration, and Anna immediately stepped back, clasping her hands together behind her back. Hopefully her face wasn't as red as it felt, but knowing her luck… "W-Well, then...shall we get started?"

"S-suppose we should. If you're ready, I am."

" _Oui!_ Let's… let's get started." Then she paced back and took command of her canvas. Despite the storm of conflicting emotions that had risen powerfully in her breast, she needed to suppress them for the nonce. If she was going to paint this goddess before her, she would need every last shred of her faculties.

* * *

The hour stretched on, and Elsa's gripping fear of what being nude in front of Anna would be like began to recede. Not fade entirely, no—she would not enjoy such a courtesy. But it was lesser, more manageable. Her blush was a very slight pinkening of her cheeks and she was lucky enough to experience no further… tinglings down below.

As she had when Anna first went to unpin her hair. That had seemed too good to be true, and when it turned out she was right, she wished she had been wrong more than any time before. Oh, for Anna to lose herself and lean in for just a few seconds…

Some piece into their second hour, Anna stepped back and frowned. When Elsa inquired about that, she merely said, "Oh, it's…. I think I'm finished, but I just… it's not turning out how I intended."

"Can you turn it so that I might see?" The girl did so, very slightly chagrined; it took some work to turn the easel, but she managed. Elsa was in for a major shock.

It was her. Not simply a seraphim with her vague body type and shape, but it was a painting of _her_ , Elsa Maurer, outfitted with gossamer wings and ascending to the heavens. The burning halo around her head blended partially into her flowing blonde tresses. Every last intimate detail of her body was captured with subtlety and deceptive ease. Luckily, her face looked far more angelic than the one she had last hitched onto Anna's portrait, but she still looked severe in her beauty, very much magnetic in her attractiveness.

 _I suppose we have both committed sacrilege in our own ways,_ she thought, swallowing past the sudden dryness in her throat. For if her portrait of Anna had been to challenge the most beautiful of the Greco-Roman pantheon, the painting before her dared to declare her a veritable angel, a true work of God.

"Is this...how you see me?" The words slipped out before she could think otherwise, too stunned as she was. Even if Elsa's heart hadn't been so woefully enamored by Anna, she would've still been impressed by the skill her _protégée_ had displayed. Especially for her first time capturing a nude subject.

"It's just… how you are."

That was the only answer that could have stunned Elsa more than a simple _"oui",_ which was already quite a lot. Anna was exalting her, which was in defiance of the church… but it did make her feel so much less like she were displaying something ugly, unclean.

"Elsa," she asked hesitantly as she approached her, leaving the painting turned for their viewing. "Do you like it? Or is it… not…"

"Me," Elsa finished, pushing up from the couch and standing awkwardly. Laid bare, literally. "It's not _me,_ but it is… a perfect work of art. You have captured what was in your soul."

"In my soul? Ohhh, you mean that bit you told me when we first met." Anna approached her, took one of her hands and pressed it between her own, despite Elsa's spluttered and quiet protest. "That art should come from a painful place in your soul that needs healing, needs to see the light of day. But… you do not cause me pain."

Grimacing, Elsa tried to make herself pull away from Anna's touch… and found she could not. Fully clothed, she could have burst from the room and run, but in the here and now, all she could do was try to dress herself again, so she turned to pick up her dress—

And felt Anna's hand halting her. One good tug would have sent her to the floor, but barring that, she would not be able to break free of the hand until Anna had said her peace. And she had a feeling that was about to happen.

"Why have you been helping Hans court me so ardently?" she asked, without preamble or reservation. "The chocolates, the jewellery… I suspected, but when I saw that dress, knew it was exactly what was in my heart… there could be no mistaking, no coincidences. There was only one person I had told about _all_ of those things."

"He was completely lost," Elsa told her, pleading, just the slightest amount in the hopes that Anna would forget the whole thing. "Needed me to express his feelings for him. I don't see as that's a crime."

"But _your_ feelings showed through the gestures. Not his." Again, she attempted to pounce on clothes, and again, Anna's well-concealed strength held her at bay. "Do you think I'm such a fool that I wouldn't notice? _Mon Dieu,_ I'm smarter than _that…_ "

"Oh, are you?" The frostiness of her tone made Anna flinch, but she did not let go, nor back down. "I'm standing here naked in front of you, wishing for all the world that you would… let me go, embrace me, do _something_ , and you don't realise that it was the same way even before you stripped me of my dignity! But forgive me for doubting your intelligence!"

Obviously, that was a load of bluster, and they both knew it. Anna was staring straight down, and finally commented, "You're curling your toes under. That's something people do when they're afraid or uncomfortable."

"I'm both!" she snapped, taking great pains to uncurl the appendages in question. "You have me naked, and questioning the nature of my relationship with you!"

"And why are you afraid of that? What possible reason would you have to—

"Because if it changes, I might _lose_ you! And I can't have that, Anna; you're all I have. You and my brushes, and… and some tiny amount of money that is little more than enough to buy a horse. That is all I have to my name in this world."

In her mind, that settled the argument. What she wasn't expecting was for Anna to seize on one particular word like a drunkard diving on a single _écu_ in the gutter.

"You said… you 'have' me." Again, Elsa tried to dart away, and Anna pulled her body in close, wrapping her arms in a way around Elsa's back that the poor model began to sag against her warmth without fight left in her. Apparently, she had been granted one of her wishes. "You do. You have me in your heart, _ma chérie._ "

Both of Elsa's eyes shot wide. "Anna… no, you c-can't- think of Hans, and our station! It's not proper for us t-to—

"But I won't say a word," she headed her off, raising a hand to cup the side of her head, expression finally clear and hopeful rather than full of that irksome irritation. "It won't be me who causes you scorn and derision everywhere you go; I… I care for you, too. Hopefully you understood that I always have."

"Not the way I do." Anna didn't even answer; she just kept staring into Elsa's eyes, pleading and waiting, until finally Elsa whispered, "No… you can't, that's… are we both that ridiculous?"

Anna chuckled, her thumb caressing her cheek and Elsa couldn't help but to lean into it. "We've both been since the very first day I came here."

Elsa frowned. No, she was wrong. She was very, very wrong to believe that they'd been anything but outrageous. They had something special… a bond that even that idiot Hans noticed. But Elsa denied that bond; denied her feelings until they were getting stronger and they had grown closer over time. It had become an unbreakable bond.

She grabbed Anna's hand. "I don't have you. No, this isn't…" She chuckled. "We have a very different meaning of what 'care' is, don't we?"

"W-What?"

"I _care_ about you. Truly and fully." Elsa endeavored to maintain her gaze, hoping her voice sounded as careful and even as she intended it to be. "But the question is… do you _care_ about me in the same way that I do you?"

Anna furrowed her brow. "Of course I do, I—"

Lips pressing into hers cut off Anna's sentence; Elsa felt no guilt over that, for she knew it was just going to be the same rhetoric as before. Their bodies were flush, and fingertips were clawing into the shorter woman's back through her dress, and a strangled squeak echoed through their connection. Hard as it may have been for her to reconcile, she was, at long last, enjoying Anna in a way that she could only have dreamt of before.

Feeling her… return the kiss. For just an instant. Not even her dreams had been that optimistic.

And then Anna was pushing her back, eyes so wide that Elsa worried they might become fixed in that fashion. Her chest heaving, fingertips clutching at her own chest where the heart was clearly keeping up a thunderous din. The large eyes flicked to the door, then back to the nude woman she had just been…

"You _kissed_ me."

"I…" Mistake. Clearly, she had perpetrated a grievous error in her judgment, but there could be no undoing it; better to own up to it as a grown woman than hide as a child. "Yes, I did. There was no other way to explain what type of affection I have for you than to… demonstrate."

One of the hands came up and pressed into her lips as she tried to figure out what had just happened. True fright was in her eyes, but she was neither running nor growing angry over the indiscretion. "Elsa… that is, I knew you cared deeply—as a sister, a bosom companion! And there was also a certain… _je ne sais quoi_ between us, an element that excited me, but I didn't… ever… _mon DIEU."_

Elsa, however, felt the urge to flee well up inside of her like waves crashing against the shore of her mind. With every word that fell from Anna's mouth, her hand inched closer and closer to her clothes draped over the armrest of the couch. She may have admitted to her feelings for the girl, but that did not mean she needed to stay any longer.

Not when Anna's eyes looked at her so fearfully, so…

So very much like those in Germany.

She quickly covered her front with her clothes, eyes glaring at the girl, but on the inside, she knew she was ready to flee from her. "You have to go."

Anna tilted her head, but didn't bother to toss Elsa's clothes again as she expected her to do. "Are you running away again?"

"Running away is the only option here, Anna, if we don't feel the same way towards each other!" she yelled and got up, draping her clothes over her body. She didn't intend to scream, nor to startle Anna… nor to kiss her so suddenly. But she did all of those things, and it was her one way to express her anger and frustration.

"You don't know that, Elsa."

The blonde scoffed, coming close to her until they were met face to face. "Of course I know that. The way you look at Hans… your oblivious mind… oh, I know how you feel."

"You _don't!"_

Silence. Broken only by Anna's heavy breathing and the pounding in Elsa's ears.

"...No. Perhaps I truly don't," Elsa muttered at last, averting her gaze to the floor. _I have to leave. I have to go._ "If I were privy to your feelings, if I knew the color of your thoughts...Perhaps we wouldn't be here. Like this."

Half-clothed and the urge to run.

Anna softly mumbled out, "No, you don't."

Elsa was broken out of her consternation by a soft hand tilting up her chin, teal eyes imploringly gazed into her own.

"Elsa, I… you… _Dieu_ help me…"

Suddenly Elsa felt warm, soft, supple lips pressed against her own. They lingered, patiently moving against hers—as if waiting for her to return the kiss, which she unwittingly did in earnest. Elsa dropped the clothing from her hands to wrap them around Anna's slim waist as Anna pulled her tightly against herself. They stayed like this for several long moments.

Eventually, Anna pulled back hesitantly. "I… _Merde!_ It… it was always you. Hans… he's far too vapid, and yet… how could I turn him down? He holds my entire life in the palm of his hand…" She trailed off resignedly.

Elsa stared at her, and her eyes and ears longed for Anna to say that Hans wasn't for her. The silence and the words that were left abandoned from Anna's lips were enchanting… comforting. They looked each other in the eyes, hushed from any thinking. Her blue eyes darkened with desire and her body was feeling fire unlike before.

She was feeling very conscious of the way Anna bit her lip—whether from nervousness, shyness, or in want, it didn't matter. The way they stood so close to each other that they could feel gentle breezes of each other's breathing, and _Dieu_ … the way Anna's nails left her shuddering while they dragged along her molten hot, bared skin. She _craved_ for it. _Dreamt_ of it.

And their eyes searched each other, trying to get into each other's mindset.

Slowly, Elsa raised her palm up to caress Anna's cheek. She hummed, eyes closed in satisfaction. "I care for you, but… know that I'm merely an artist. An artist that has barely enough money to feed herself…"

"And I am a peasant—well, I was," she whispered, lips brushing towards her glowing skin of her palm. She held it gently, stroking the smooth skin on the back and soon laced their fingers together.

Elsa tilted her head, a bittersweet smile perking up from her unsettling emotions. _"Madame,_ what have you done to _moi?_ " she whispered, and her body relaxed the moment Anna laid their hands to her thumping chest.

Anna looked at her and it was clear: she desired to have her. She leaned in deliberately, their noses lightly touching. _"Non_ , what have _you_ done to _me?"_

But it didn't matter anymore, with the slow and eager kiss that stripped them from any reality. And it was desperate, arms wrapped around each other as if the world was going to end, and their lips lavishing each other so hungrily that this seemed almost to be a meal. Groans slipped out of their lips, hands grabbing each other's hands, waist, hips… hair… but nowhere that could lead to a very inappropriate moment, at a very inappropriate time.

Elsa was pushed down into the couch once again, and Anna laid atop her. She turned her head away immediately, covering her mouth with the back of her hand—although she stared so affectionately at Anna, with the lust and passion that had grown so much in her that she was horrified.

They were like _animals._

"Anna…"

Anna's face was flushed, a glisten of saliva peeking from the corner of her lips. "Elsa… are we—

"Anna, you have to go."

"But I don't _want_ to go!" she whispered, in a voice soaked with emotion, with need. "My sweet Elsa, we have discovered something… I mean, it was there all along, but I somehow didn't think…"

"Please, just go! We can… sort this out another time, when we're not—

"Your flirting had to be some silly game! I thought it couldn't be true, that you might _truly_ have these feelings. You're a _woman!_ And a strikingly beautiful woman, one that… that men would throw themselves into the Seine for the privilege of kissing your hand!" She let out a somewhat rude little laugh. "Most women who are _déviants…_ I mean, they're usually somehow _viril, sans façon,_ no?"

Curling her lip, Elsa looked away. "They seemed content enough to call me such things in Germany, despite my being what you seem to think of as 'beautiful.' Many times."

That was all Anna needed to hear, and to perceive in Elsa's haunted eyes. That this was not a new development, no passing fancy. Her lips descended to graze the blonde temple nearest them as she whispered, "You… are such a _déviant?_ You can tell me. I won't judge."

"I have never lusted after a man. Not once in all my adult life, and not even as a girl; I found them unattractive, and most often petty and churlish. _Les connards!"_ Scoffing, she reached up to pet along one side of Anna's face with a feather-light touch. "While women… oh, _women…_ "

Elsa's gaze softened as her fingers traced the curve of Anna's jaw. "They were so beautiful, so soft...I longed to learn the paths their thoughts treaded, which colors brought the most light to their eyes. Which flower would incite a blissful sigh, which verses tinted their cheeks."

"And did you find out?" the girl murmured against her temple.

"Some," Elsa replied in a similarly soft voice, "But I found that I still have much to learn."

The redhead hid a grin against her skin before pulling away. And wow, only then she realized, Elsa looked ridiculously attractive with all her curves… and the sunlight making her glow… and _mon Dieu,_ how blue her eyes were.

Elsa tilted her head, smiling with grace as her fingers trailed down towards her neck. Anna sighed, and wondered what those fingers could do… that would make her feel content and possibly, begging for more.

"And you…" Elsa whispered, eyes darting from those pulped lips and to the fluttering eyelids. "You, _madame_ , also have a lot to learn…"

"A lot…?"

"Well, you have me, don't you?"

Anna smiled, cheekily. "Define 'have'."

Frowning, Elsa traced a finger over her nose. "Don't be absurd; you knew I meant 'have me available.' We… cannot be more than mentor and _protégée_. Not publically."

"Then…" Anna's flush was more complete this time. Her voice got quieter, and some of her previous boldness fled in the face of what she meant to say.

" _Oui?"_

"Then might we… be more… _not_ publically?"

That brought Elsa up short. Until that moment, she had assumed they were simply acknowledging their _"je ne sais quoi"_ , as Anna had described it. Not plotting to do anything about it ever again! On the other hand, having the redhead's body slung across hers on the couch should have been forewarning of such matters.

"You wish to… begin an ongoing affair with a woman?" She let out a blast of shocked laughter, which only made Anna's adorable little ears redden. "You do. _Mon Dieu tout-puissant,_ you are- I can't believe what I'm hearing, what we're talking about! Our plan is for you to marry Hans de Neuvillette and, what, steal kisses behind every corner and closet door from now until then, like common thieves?!"

"No," Anna refuted softly. Elsa only just had time enough to breathe a single sigh of relief before Anna added, "Why should we stop once I am married?"

"You would be _married_. Surely you can see the problem with that?" Elsa said, chuckling nervously. Upon seeing that Anna's countenance remained serious and her gaze had not lessened in its intensity, she continued, "Anna, I may prefer those of the fairer sex, but I won't have you forsake your vows simply to—"

"But what if I _want_ to?" her _protégée_ insisted, lips curling into a frown that somehow managed to keep its adorable touch. "Why can't...Why can't I just marry—"

Elsa interrupted her with a finger to her lips, averting her gaze from the girl before her. "You forget the world we live in, Anna. Beyond these walls, it is cruel, callous, cold. Even… even if, by some miracle, the world turns a blind eye to what we share and allow us to live in peace...the church would raise an uproar. The marriage you've probably dreamt of at least once before...you won't have it."

"But what if I marry you in secret?"

The absurdity of the words gave her pause.

"No, you can't."

"W-What? No, you're not allowed to get up." She pushed her down, legs straddling her.

"Anna." Elsa sighed, looking away with her hands by her waist. "Look… we're only together… to work. To get you married, and that's all. Anything else… like this… is a taboo. Plus, if Hans comes in here and finds me naked and you on top of me, he'll _kill_ us. He has the power to, Anna."

"But—"

"Don't forget that we're only here because he hired me and he likes you. We would be out in the streets in no time if this continues and we both know we don't want that. Oh, Anna…" She grinned bitterly, a hand cupping her cheek and caught a tear that fell ever so slowly. But why? Why cry now? Elsa knew that she liked him one way or another, but not _loved_ him. Wasn't that what she wanted?

Anna held her hand, tightly and warmly. This was comforting for some reason. "You're right." She sniffled. "The church will find out… and perhaps, we'll be burned alive in public. We do have a very religious society, after all."

Elsa nodded, wanting to apologize but she couldn't. She just couldn't. These were her feelings and she'd expressed them openly and happily. Anna had accepted her, yet Elsa denied themselves from being together. This wasn't fair. This was… necessary.

Finding Anna getting off of her, and handing over her clothes, she looked at the painting. "Um… it's… the painting needs some more work to be done, but… I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow, Elsa."

Her voice cracked, and a part of Elsa's heart cracked with it.

"Anna—"

"I just...I just thought that having _something_ would be better than nothing at all," the girl continued, shoulders drooping ever so slightly. "That even if we can't have all of it, we could...we could at least _try_."

All Elsa wanted to do was call out to her, assure her that they would at least be in each other's lives. Could she even promise that much? Not for certain. Once the two of them were wed, she would have her own premises. Their lives would become separate, only distantly related compared to what they were now. What was the use in kindling a flame that would only have to be extinguished?

So instead, she said the only words of comfort that were open to her, forcing the words out as she finally began to pull her dress back on. "The painting… it's finished."

"What?" Anna asked, her hand on the doorknob. "Oh. You don't want to pose for it again, I understand."

"No, it's not—I'm being genuine. Your artistry has created something spectacular. I will be fairly embarrassed for anyone else to see it, given that it's my face, but… but it's perfect. No further work is required, and that is… my official word, as your mentor. Take pride in this accomplishment."

With a slightly sad smile, she gazed evenly at the blonde. Then, after mulling it over for a moment, she said, "It's not for sale. A painting like that belongs in a private collection." As she pulled open the door, she added one more word before slipping out: "Mine."

The minute she was alone, Elsa slumped to the floor, utterly drained. How this many emotions and venting of spleens had put her through the ringer! It would be a wonder if she even felt like getting up in the morning.

Yet, on the other side, Anna took a quick glance at the door behind her before turning and giving her new painting in possession a look of awe and wonder. She knew she was improving as a painter, but she wasn't struck by the skill she managed to to put from brush to canvas. She was struck by the beauty of, who Anna thought, would never be with her despite them both knowing what they truly wanted.

Perhaps she could run away and elope with Elsa? As much as Hans held her entire life in the palm of his hand, the riches and attention he would shower her with were nothing compared to merely being with Elsa, alone. But where exactly would they run? With Hans's status, there's no telling what he could do to the both of them. Murder, possibly? Was Hans even capable of that?

Anna gave her being with Elsa a second thought, and it pained her to know the kind of pain Elsa could be under just trying to help a man, who possibly never loved her to begin with, win her affections.

She held the painting close and quietly sobbed.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** The Wandering Quill, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, Brown Turtle


	5. The Art of Matrimony

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 5**

 _The Art of Matrimony_

* * *

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when Hans finally proposed.

Nearly two more weeks had passed, and nothing else transpired other than Elsa finally penning the sonnet that would bring Anna to a tearful puddle, and encourage her to accept his ring. Even though once he recited it, she threw her arms around him and told him how beautiful it was… as she locked eyes with Elsa in the corner of the garden. That had become their lives; stolen moments, mild flirtations that were swiftly quashed. Heartbreak and sorrow, but that only made the brief flashes of adoration that much sweeter.

A time or two, Anna had pushed for them to go further, to throw caution to the wind and explore each other, but Elsa was able to talk sense into her each time. She was not so foolish; only that her good sense had to fight against her truly deep and abiding desires. It both made Elsa unbelievably happy, and dreadfully miserable.

A few nights afterward, Elsa lay in the bath, mulling over her fate. She had done everything she could to drive Anna from her mind; to relinquish her into Hans's arms once and for all. That would be truly best for both of them, wouldn't it? Of course, she was a coward, and head over heels for her beloved. All she could do was what she was doing. No matter how much it pained both of them.

"Oh, Anna," she sighed, picturing the redhead vividly as she ran a wet hand down her face, head lolling backward. All she wanted to do was sink down below the surface and forget about her perfect form, her bright smile and easy laugh…

Her hips jerked suddenly, and Elsa stiffened, gaze snapping down to see that her hand had followed the course of her thoughts on its own. Cheeks aflame at her lack of control, she quickly took her fingers away from where it had brushed against the sensitive bud peeking out from beneath the hood. Water splashed with the motion, and she froze, head turning towards the door as she listened intently for any sign of life on the other side. She was being paranoid, she knew—there would be very little chance of another person bursting in through the door and accusing her of...of…

Though this would not be the first time Elsa could be found guilty of _"plaisir solitaire",_ as some called it, but she typically did her best not to indulge—and _certainly_ not while picturing the face of someone about to be married! That was merely in bad form, and she would not permit it within her own mind. Abominable, the lows to which one could sink when overcome by lust.

Unfortunately, two days prior…

Elsa had walked in on Anna dressing for the day. Since their feelings began to shift, they had both been more polite about sharing the space, trying not to further provoke feelings they were still untangling. But in this case, Anna was already nearly bare, and seemed to have rediscovered her mischievous streak. She continued changing her clothing as if Elsa were merely a servant there to help her, or to clean while she did so. Ignoring the wandering eyes that took in her svelte waist, her smooth, lightly dotted back, her trim ankles… the other areas she did not dare think on for longer than was necessary.

Until now. With the water so warm and soothing, and her hand so willing to disobey its master, she seemed to be having more trouble forgetting about the soft, round _derrière_ that invited her so much to reach out with itchy fingers and… she wasn't sure. Pinch it? Caress it? Stroke further down until she found…

"Hnn…!" Elsa's eyes slammed shut as she jerked her hand away once more, splashing the water violently.

 _No, no...I have to be strong. I have to resist, I have to_ —

The smooth curve of Anna's back flashed through her mind's eye, tracing a path up to her freckled shoulders and the coquettish smirk that seemed to always have its place on her lips these days.

"Hnn...ah!" The tub's edge dug into her upper shoulders as she threw her head back in a barely-stifled cry. Her hand had found its way to the wet patch between her legs again, fingers circling around the hardening pearl there. The water churned with her movements, and she dug her heels into the bottom of the tub to anchor herself. Her other hand grasped tightly at the edge for additional support as each swipe at her sensitive bud sent shockwaves of pleasure through her writhing frame.

This was too much. In no time at all, she would be moaning into the rafters—no, she _was_ already moaning. She just hadn't noticed before that moment. Every last turn and plane of Anna's delicious form filled her mind's eye, pleaded with it to continue feasting on the sight, to breathe upon the coals that brought her lust to a boil. As unwise as that idea was…

"Anna!" she panted as quietly as she could force herself, one leg lifting so that her heel draped over the edge of the tub, allowing her easier access. Another way to brace herself up, bear down against the torrent of pleasure that her damnable hand was bringing her. "Oh _merde—meine schöne_ Anna!" Her native tongue slipped as much as she wanted to slip it inside of her beloved's mouth, to drink deeply of what it had to offer her…

And that's when there were six knocks in quick succession upon the door. Nearly startled into the end that she had been steadily working towards, she squelched her moans as quickly and completely as she could, even stilling all movements.

"Elsa?" A pause. "I… thought you might like to know—it's snowing outside!"

Both of her eyes squeezed shut as she took a few deep breaths through her nostrils. What an abysmal time for a weather report! "Go away, Anna," she whispered softly. "Go… away…"

"What? I can't hear you, what's—oh, this is silly. I'm coming in!"

Elsa stiffened, goose pimples springing up all over her body as it dawned on her that she hadn't thought to lock the door before taking her bath!

That wasn't the worst of it, though. She could have dealt with Anna walking in on her taking a simple bath since the redhead had, after all, already seen her in her full naked glory. No, her naked state was hardly cause for concern…

The fact that her appendage was still prominently placed between her legs when Anna burst into the room on the other hand...

"Now… what were you saying?" she asked reasonably as she shut the door behind her, moving to the side of the tub and waiting for an answer. One that never came. "What's wrong? You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

"Anna…" Elsa sighed. "It is very rude to interrupt someone's bath without asking permission!"

Chuckling, she sat down on the bench that was typically used by servants to assist in bathing their masters, folding her hands on her lap. "Well, I'm already in here—and you didn't tell me not to come in, now, did you?"

"Perhaps not." When nothing else was said for a few seconds, she blinked up at Anna's smiling features and demanded, "What?!"

"You look… awfully flushed today, at this moment when you're in the bath. Do we need to get you out of there? You know how sitting too long in hot water can give a person the vapours."

Gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the mounting frustration, she rebutted, "And being too near _you_ gives me the vapours, as well! So what good is having you here going to do me?!"

"Maybe none. Maybe a lot…" Anna's hand laid upon Elsa's shoulder. "Or maybe… I can just stay here and keep you company while you deal with whatever 'vapours' have descended upon you."

A rush of heat engulfed Elsa's face at the implication behind Anna's thinly veiled words, the heat spreading like wildfire to her groin, setting her body freshly ablaze with need. There was no mistaking what the younger woman was suggesting!

 _Mon dieu! This is crazy!_ Elsa couldn't possibly accept such a temptingly sweet and oh so generous offer…

Or… could she? She gnawed on her lower lip, seriously toying with the idea. The longer she contemplated it, the more appealing it sounded to her. If she agreed with it, they wouldn't necessarily be doing anything wrong, not if Anna was just… there as support of sorts.

When she noticed how reticent to decide the bathing woman was, Anna covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "You're shy; I forgot, I'm sorry. How about…" Bending quickly, she nipped up the dress Elsa had been wearing before her bath.

" _Qu'est-ce que tu fais?!"_ Elsa demanded when she saw her draping it over the tub. "You're going to get it wet!"

"I'm preserving your modesty, my sweet." More and more, she called her that lately… and Elsa wished she could say she hated it, that she minded at all. Instead of craving the words. Now that Anna had finished, it was not quite touching the water, and all that remained visible was Elsa's head and shoulders, the very tops of her breasts, and the lone foot poking over the lip of the tub that she had failed to withdraw when Anna came in.

Only in hindsight did she realise how damning that position was, and how easily Anna must have figured out what she was doing because she was too dense to correct it before she came in.

"So if I… _finish my bath…_ " The innuendo she laid upon those words was so heavy that she cringed from them, and even Anna looked away slightly as her cheeks filled with rouge. "You'll only sit there, keeping me company?"

Anna inclined her head with a small nod. "A little… moral support is nice to help move things along, wouldn't you say? It would be discourteous of me to not stay and ensure the rest of your bath is satisfactory." She paused and added with an assured grin, "On the off chance you might swoon from the intense warmth… _of the bath water_ , of course, and sink below the surface, I'll be here to catch you. We can discuss art in the meantime to keep you busy."

As she continued speaking, her words took on a husky purr. "Like how deftly your slender, smooth hands can apply steady _strokes_ across the canvas you're working on so flawlessly..."

And _merde_ , her hand was already doing just that, now that the dress hid her ministrations from view.

She let out a shudder that sent her fingers diving between her legs for more than a shudder. Elsa shut her eyes, her head leaning against the edge of the tub. She was in ecstasy… and Anna had her palm caressing her cheek, quickly tilting her head up to face her.

There was this look in her eyes that Elsa couldn't make out, but oh, that smile… it was _wicked._

She tensed, breath hitching into gasps. _Dieu_ , she had never felt like this before—so submissive and so… _vulnerable_. Elsa squeezed her legs together. The throbbing between them still wouldn't stop and it was calling for a release.

"Anna…" she mouthed, blue eyes sweeping to the girl's lips, craving for a taste.

"It's okay," Anna whispered and somehow it was soothing. The girl's fingers were slow and teasing as they trailed down Elsa's arm, slipping under the water and along the arm. And Elsa was in her very own paradise.

Her legs spread further. "Oh please…"

"Shhh… I'll be here." Elsa trembled at the words that flowed so gently into her ear.

Slowly, with Anna's hand caressing her, encouraging, her fingers began to work. "Mgnn…" She bit her lip, head thrown back immediately. Anna said nothing. Gasps hurried out of her lips and her fingers teased her thrusting her hips upward with every little rub of her sensitive nub. Elsa ached for more.

But God, the eyes that darkened to near black and dilated stared right at her. The grin was gone and the look of lust and desire left Elsa gushing.

" _Tu es à moi…"_ Anna whispered, and Elsa wasn't going to hold back anymore. She grabbed the dress and tore it away from the tub, revealing herself bare.

Anna widened her eyes, but her lips stayed shut, ears perking up at the long strings of moans surrounding damp air. Her face flushed, but she couldn't figure out if it was from Elsa's doing or the hot water. She didn't dare to find out.

"Elsa…"

"L-Look… ahhh… a-at what you do to me…"

And she did. Her hooded gaze met Elsa's, and the girl withdrew her hand from the water, using it to caress her face. "I know I said I would only sit here, to keep you company, but given the current state of the... _canvas_ …" Anna murmured, drawing her face closer as Elsa's fingers slipped past her bud, dipping at last into the source of the delicious ache in her loins.

Dignity and most of her restraint had been thrown out of the window by now. So Elsa didn't think much of it when Anna's lips pressed against hers.

"Mmm…" Elsa moaned, leaning in towards her lips. She wrapped her free hand around around her neck, her other fingers slowly slipping inside of her. She began thrusting slowly and her fingers curled.

" _M-Mon dieu_ …" she whimpered, her head pressed against Anna's. _Merde!_ She wanted Anna in there… wanted her clothes to be ridden from her body… wanted her lips to be caressing her whole. Worshiping. God, she wanted this badly. It was hot already, and getting hotter as Anna ran her fingers through her golden hair.

She grabbed the back of Anna's neck, twirling her fiery red hair around her fingers. "Annnaaaaaa…" she whined, back arched with ecstasy and—

" _Arrêt."_

Elsa stopped immediately and all of her desire for release was washed away from a single word. She fell back, her breathing ragged. She looked at up at her friend, confused. "A-Anna…?"

"I want you… to tell me something." Even Anna was breathing hard now, despite having done so little herself. "Tell me of your feelings."

"Anna, I ca—"

"Please?" she pleaded softly, with a true need in her voice. "Just… state them honesty. Tell me everything while you… relax in the bath."

The woman rolled and groaned in the tub, teeth gritted as she managed to say, "You can't be s-serious! We both know what I'm doing, is it really so important that we discuss this _now?!"_

"Can there be another time when you'll actually be honest about how you feel?" Her lips drifted down and brushed over Elsa's very lightly. "It's all I want, to hear you say one time…"

No matter how hard Elsa tried to resist, it was futile; this woman had her heart wrapped around her pinky finger, and she was not above tugging at it to make her mentor unravel. What on earth would transpire if she were to refuse? Would Anna simply get up and leave? Or throw the door open and call for the maid, someone to witness Elsa's indiscretion? Surely not; Anna was not that petty or cruel. However…

The pleading seemed to say that it was very important to her. To both of them, if Elsa were amenable. And she was so very close to orgasming that it was thrumming in her veins by this point.

Gritting her teeth further, she forced her fingers to slow down in their thrusting, enough for her to focus. Well...focus as best as she could in this situation. _"Je t'adore,"_ Elsa hissed, voice huskier than intended given her current state. "I cannot pinpoint exactly _when_ , but certainly for longer than our foppish employer has lusted after you."

"You're lusting after me right now, though," Anna murmured, their noses brushing and her voice teasing.

"The difference between us...is that he desires you for your body," the blonde ground out, almost as a snarl, "But you...you are _so much more_ than a pretty face; than womanly curves and supple breasts." A groan fell from her lips as her end drew nearer and nearer.

"Go on, my sweet," the girl whispered, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Though… you do have those things," Elsa added with a breathy laugh, arching her back briefly before her positioning in the bath made it impossible for her to maintain such a feat.

The words had done enough. Anna nodded, leaving one more kiss on the end of Elsa's nose before she pulled back… and unbuttoned the front of her dress. When the blonde's breath caught, she stopped, but it was just enough to expose a glimpse of soft, pale cleavage. No more, no less. Then she leaned in again and left her lips to linger on Elsa's forehead.

All she could do was stare directly down into the new view afforded her hungry eyes as her hand began to speed up again, dragging her entire body rocketing toward the climax again. Such a small thing set her off so effortlessly… how would she cope with anything further than that now? Even if she had seen Anna partially nude before, things had changed so much now that their feelings were out in the open.

Even if her hand diving in and out of her semi-exposed sex was out in the open. Murky though her bathwater may have been from the presence of lye, it was not nearly murky enough; vague shapes were open for viewing, and Anna was certainly drinking in the sight on a regular basis.

"Isn't there anything more you want to say?" Anna goaded once pulling back, still leaned close as she licked her lips and panted as if she were the one whose hand was carrying out such misdeeds.

Anna leaned into her ear, hot breath making her red and squirming. "I want to hear you say more…" she whispered.

Elsa's body shifted and she was in bliss. Her eyes shut, mouth widening, cheeks flushing into a deep crimson as her end was near. Anna's hand traveled upwards to her neck. _"M-Merde… Anna…"_ Elsa sighed, her voice hoarse as her body tensed and tightened. She began working her fingers faster between her wet folds and she was desperate to reach through a rippling orgasm.

 _I don't even care if I scream anymore._

Her blue eyes, wet from tears, shifted to Anna's. Teal eyes met hers, and it showed no hint of what she was thinking, other than _'I want to hear how much you love me'._ Elsa's mind worked furiously for words to say.

"A-Anna…"

"Say it…"

Just like that, her back arched in the air, and her screams were as silent as their night. Her hips thrust up, letting murky water splash over the tub. The servants had a lot more cleaning up to do after this. Anna held her tight in her arms, words soothingly slipping into her ear.

"I'm here… Shh, I'm here…"

"I-I love you…"

To her credit, Anna only tensed for a second or two once those words settled comfortably in her mind. Then she was hugging Elsa again, kissing her cheek softly. "You're alright. I… I love you, too. I'm so happy!"

"How can you be happy? If you're to… to marry Hans, when we feel this way about each other? It's abominable!"

"It's business. I'll still see you, I… we're part of each other's lives forever now." She drew back, capturing Elsa's lips hard for a moment before pulling back to smile gleefully down at her. "Oh, this is so exciting! I want to shout it from the rooftops!"

Grunting, Elsa blushed and looked off to one side. "Fairly certain that would be a bad plan at this point." But she couldn't help but offer a harsh chuckle when she realised something.

"What? What is it?"

"Now I'm beginning to suspect you plan these conversations for when I'm naked. Here we are, again."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Anna wink at her, an impish smile curving onto her lips. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I, for one, would not mind doing this again."

Elsa's cheeks flushed further in embarrassment. _Mon dieu,_ the audacity of what they had just done! Had her desires truly driven her so far as to reduce her to little more than...than… _Dieu, I can't even say it. This was a terrible error in judgement._ The urge to cover her face with her hands was strong, but Anna's fingers on her cheek, turning her gaze back to the girl, was stronger.

"As crude of a manner you think it might've been...I'm still _so happy_ you said it," Anna whispered, and the genuinely overjoyed smile on her face was almost painful to look at. _"Je t'adore,_ Elsa."

Elsa sighed and took her hand off between her thighs. "No, I… Anna, this is a sin."

"A sin that only you and I know of—no, it's not even a sin. Loving someone is not a sin, Elsa." She grinned and somehow her words were calming and convincing. Elsa was just stubborn. She leaned back from her palm, eyes facing the water. Elsa felt dirty for doing such a thing… felt even dirtier thinking about Anna becoming married soon. This shouldn't be happening, yet… it was. And she was enjoying it.

"Loving someone while they are someone else's _fiancée_ is," Elsa sighed, shutting her eyes. And Anna herself knew that she was right.

"I didn't say this was ideal, my sweet Elsa; obviously it isn't. But do you really want to give up on me only because figuring this out is difficult?" She waited patiently while Elsa mulled it over, finally prompting her, "Well?"

"No, no, of course not. No matter how bad of an idea this may be, it's… still better than losing you."

Her nod was patient, as if their roles were reversed; Anna, the master, and Elsa, the apprentice. _"There's_ the Elsa Maurer I know and cherish." Then she sat up a little straighter and smiled. "Now, do you want me to scrub your back? _Non embrouilles,_ I promise!"

"Oh, alright," Elsa half-laughed, almost grateful for the change in subject. She began to ease forward as her _protégée_ scooted around behind her. "And, Anna?"

" _Oui?"_

"You do understand… none of my hesitance has anything to do with how much I care for you, right?"

Anna laughed as she lathered up her hands with the soap and began to slide them up and down Elsa's smooth, toned back. _"Bien sûr._ What do you take me for, a fool?"

* * *

It seemed that Elsa was the greater fool. Or at the very least, she was a fool for believing she could sit through the wedding ceremony and numb her aching heart as she watched Anna press her lips to Hans.

Unfortunately, the heart was not meant to be numbed, for Elsa's had nearly cracked in two at the display, however chaste.

The chapel was an exquisite sight, flowers and wreaths everywhere. The many friends and family Hans had managed to gather in attendance were dressed in their absolute finest. Elsa was, of course, the maid of honour—the dubious honour of having to stand right next to the horrible abomination of a ceremony as it transpired. Of course, it wasn't the scenery or the people involved that made it so horrible.

It was the knowledge of how much time she and Anna had spent finding stolen moments to sneak around corners and join their lips, pull at each other's hair. They made sure to never go beyond certain boundaries—Elsa would not have it, despite Anna's many and varied complaints—and enjoyed themselves well enough without breaking their vow. As long as she was Hans's wife, they could not grow any more intimate than they had in the bath when Anna first observed Elsa being indiscreet.

Of course, that was not to say they couldn't grow _as_ intimate as in the bath. Which they did. Often. Enthusiastically.

The celebration afterwards back at the Neuvillette estate was a grandiose, overstated affair. The large hall was decorated with large bouquets of flowers—presented in the most ostentatious of arrangements—several on each of the tables arranged along the perimeter of the room, and ensconced upon the walls. The gauche décor continued out the side doors of the hall into the vast sprawling gardens, where many smaller tables were set up.

Wine and spirits flowed freely as the guests toasted the newlywed couple. Elsa could only stand there, biting her tongue—cursing her misfortune at having to bear witness to this day. Especially when Hans _repeatedly_ attempted to progress their affections beyond a mere chaste peck on the lips when he thought nobody else was watching—but Elsa was ever vigilant, wary of the groom's more lecherous proclivities.

She could only pray that Anna would be able to ward off his advances, though there would be no guarantee for the…

Elsa's hand tightened on her glass, threatening to snap its thin neck in half.

... _The wedding night._

Even the mere thought of it nearly sent bile crawling up her throat, churning at her stomach violently until the world spun. To think that Hans would be able to gaze upon Anna in her full splendor, to touch and taste and lay claim to what was legally his… This time, Elsa set her glass down on the nearest available surface, excusing herself to the random guests that had taken places near her and had attempted some good-natured conversation earlier. About art, about the two newlyweds…

She needed to get away. For even in the open air of the gardens, it still felt stifling...as if the very weight of the world were attempting to crush her.

No one was lingering by the fountain. Too far removed from the festivities themselves, and nothing of interest there other than the fountain itself, which was always present. She sat herself there and allowed a moment of depressuring from the day; the worst had happened, and she survived. They would all live to enjoy another day, despite being miserable during.

Unsure of how long had passed between when she departed and when she felt the tap on her shoulder, she whipped around to see Anna standing beside her, resplendent in a bridal gown that was so flawless, so suiting to her blushing face that all Elsa could do was gaze up at her.

"I saved you some cake," she whispered softly, producing the plate that was behind her back. "Of course, it's not _chocolatl,_ but… it's not bad."

"Thank you," she breathed with a soft, appreciative smile as she took it, holding it in her lap. "I don't have much appetite, but I'll try it in a moment."

Anna sat down next to her on the lip of the fountain, fully aware of their proximity. Should anyone happen past them, they would simply look like two good friends sharing an intimate conversation—no questioning of just _how_ intimate. "I'm… glad we had our wedding."

"You had to stop doing that," Elsa snorted.

"Doing what?" Anna asked in a faux-innocent voice.

"Glancing over your shoulder every time you had to say an 'I do' or anything similar. People were beginning to mutter in the pews."

But the redhead would not be deterred. "I was glancing at the one I was really reciting my vows to, and you know it. _La jolie femme_ who actually captured my heart."

"Anna, _ma chérie d'amour_ _,_ " Elsa whispered, her chest tightening with emotion at the newly wedded bride's confession. She briefly dropped her gaze to the cake sitting in her lap and prodded at the dessert with the fork, making no attempt to eat from it just yet. Quietly she admitted, " _Moi aussi…_ _"_

During the painful exchanging of vows, while Hans was speaking his lines to Anna, Elsa had tuned him out the best she could and said her own personal vows meant for Anna under her breath, her sight never wavering off of the younger woman as she did so.

Resting the fork back on the plate beside the cake, she glared distastefully at the ring now adorning the redhead's finger, signifying the completion of her engagement with Hans.

How she wished it had been placed there by her own hands...

" _Quelle?"_ Anna asked, glancing down at her ring. "Oh… this silly old thing. Hans wanted to buy me the most expensive ring in the jewellery shop, but I saw this and knew it had to be this one. Immediately."

"It's very beautiful," Elsa told her honestly, though the smile she used while telling her was forced. "Suits you."

With a wistful sigh, Anna's hand raised to graze against Elsa's cheek… and lingered, the sizable sapphire glinting right next to Elsa's identically-blue eye. _"Oui_ … it's the perfect shade." Before Elsa could do anything but gasp in understanding, Anna shocked her yet more by flitting in to brush their lips together as briefly as possible. "Oh, how I wish the kiss on my wedding day could be longer…"

"How I wish you hadn't done that at all!" Elsa hissed, glancing around with fearful eyes. "One person catching us being so indiscreet could mean our doom!"

"I think you're overreacting just a little," Anna snorted. "Our 'doom'? _Ma femme douce naïve_ _,_ you are so concerned about me all the time… how could I _not_ be in love with you?"

As guilty and fearful as she was, those words made Elsa's breath catch and the heart in her chest squeeze with a terrible fondness. "And how could I not be concerned? I would see no one destroy such beauty as your truest self, in soul or body." She allowed her hand to cup Anna's cheek, but despite the want tingling in Elsa's lips, did not draw her close enough to kiss again.

One, brief and chaste, would have to do for the night of their wedding. Their consummation would have to exist in the dancing light of their eyes as they gazed upon one another in the gardens, their wedding song the burble of the fountain beside them. The sky, awake and glimmering with stars sprinkled across the firmament, the only witness to their illicit ceremony.

"Elsa…"

She opened her eyes to again look into the teal pair opposite her, but was instead greeted by rings of deep ocean blue surrounding _very_ large pools of black. Glancing downwards, she saw her _protégée's_ lips quivered with anticipation.

Her own voice trembled in reply, "A-Anna… we-we cannot… _pas ici. Pas maintenant._ "

The sparkle in those ocean blue rings faded. " _Je… Je connais._ "

Elsa felt as though her heart had begun to crack with the undercurrent of pain in Anna's voice.

"It's not forever," Elsa tried to reassure her. "And… you will want for nothing in Hans's home. That is what I would want for you, even if it were me providing. A beautiful château, servants, fine dresses from the best clothiers in all of France… anything your heart desires!" Her head dropped to her chest. "But he is your prince, and I am a pauper. So this is how it must be."

A long moment of silence passed, broken only by the burbling of the fountain behind them. "I would rather live in the gutter with you than in a castle without you, and you know that."

"I do. But I reject that life for you; it is beneath what you deserve."

"You reject you? How noble." But when Elsa didn't perk up, she laughed. "Don't worry; as you said, it's not forever. And we won't be apart; I'll see you every day, if possible!"

"Will you?" A sly smile tugged at her lips. "People will begin to talk if we keep each other company every single day."

"Let them. I will be married and in good standing, and we're… _best_ friends who lived with each other previously. There's no reason for them to talk, and if they do, then they are the ones who look foolish."

"Besides, you shall have your own château… we will not have to meet at the same place each day."

"Perhaps not." Elsa glanced around surreptitiously. "However, this is your wedding night," she began as she cringed internally, "and I cannot keep you away from your groom for much longer else people _will_ talk."

Anna sighed deeply. "I… suppose you are correct." She whispered, "Before I go, you must know this: I shall not lay with him." As Anna felt the hint of tears well up in the corner of her eyes, she hastily retreated to a secluded area of the grounds—desperate for Elsa to not see her cry that day, not over this.

Elsa remained by the fountain a few moments longer, letting the sound of the water drown out her thoughts. Or at least that had been her intent, until she was interrupted.

"Elsa, might I have a word?" The gruff voice startled her.

"Oh… Hans—if you would forgive my inattention, _s'il-vous-plaît_. Yes, of course."

"Let us speak in my gallery, then."

Having no valid reason to object, she did as she was bade and followed Hans inside, to gaze upon all of the many paintings he had there. A goodly third of them were hers, one or two Anna's. The rest were from the masters all over the continent: Bellegambe, Fouquet, both Clouets, Quesnel. Not all of them particularly tickled Elsa's fancy, either objectively or as a practitioner of the art, but most of them commanded respect.

"I'll try to be brief," Hans said as he gazed up at his prizes. His acquisitions. Elsa couldn't help but think of Anna as the newest piece in his collection, and it turned her stomach. "My duty is calling."

"Duty?" Her eyes widened, and she felt her pulse quicken. "Italy…"

"Yes. I… well, my wealth and status have bought me some time, but not enough." He gestured carelessly. "A month from now, I'll be heading to Guise to assist in readying the troops, unless I can bribe someone else."

Nodding her understanding, Elsa leaned against a marble statue as she tried to bring her thoughts under command. That would leave a lot more time for her and Anna to… be _friendly_ with each other. However, all she said was, "I see. _Je suis désolé_ _,_ that is most unfortunate."

" _Oui._ It certainly is. I won't have much time to enjoy my new bride." He smirked.

Elsa maintained a straight face, just barely, as her stomach twisted into knots. Sensing that she did need to respond, however, she uttered, "Indeed."

"That leaves one other item for us to address, actually," Hans began tersely. "Now that Roxanna is my bride, I do believe it is time we settled up on our _accord, non?_ "

She nodded slightly, "Yes. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be my own woman."

" _Bien_. I have acquired a nearby property—not _vingt arpent_ distant, for you. The estate has modest furnishings, but it is yours. If you'll sign for acquisition of the title, I shall have _un serviteur_ take you in the coach tomorrow after lunch."

He walked over to the door, rapping it lightly twice in quick succession. The door opened slightly, and Kai entered carrying a leather pouch and inkwell.

"Over there, if you would."

" _Bien sûr, Monsieur._ " He placed the objects down on a small table along the wall.

Crossing to the document, she raised an eyebrow at him as she reached for the quill. "You expect me to accept this property, sight unseen?"

"I expect you to take me as a man of my word, and of good taste. You know I would settle for nothing but the best—even for someone other than myself."

"I know no such thing." However, she also had no reason to doubt him; if it turned out to be a complete hovel, she would tell Anna, and Anna would never let him hear the end of it. Blind though he might be to the true nature of their relationship, he was at least observant enough to note they were close.

Almost wistfully, Elsa reached out and signed away any right she had to truly protest that he had married the woman she loved. The deal was done. Her heart yearned to snatch the parchment away as Kai took it out of sight, but she did not. She simply… allowed it to happen.

* * *

Anna, out on the grounds, had decided to take a walk around to clear her head and let her eyes dry themselves.

After several minutes doing so, she returned to the _soirée_ , walking past the fountain as she made her way to get a glass of wine. Her heart fell when she did not see the familiar platinum tresses by the fountain. _Perhaps she has retired for the evening…_

She had just picked up a glass of wine, and begun to turn around when she knocked her arm into something— _someone_.

"Hans… There you are…"

"Sorry, I had some brief business to attend to," he replied, again with that sickeningly velvety voice. "Would you grace me with the honor of a dance?"

She furtively glanced around the room. Unable to locate the one she sought, she resigned herself to the act. "It would be _heureux de_." She took a deep drink of her wine, before setting it down on the table.

Hans proceeded to pull her out to the middle of the room, then clapped his hands together once, loudly, to quiet the room.

Kai, once the room had quieted—the only remaining sound that of quietly played string instruments—walked to the center and announced, "Now, we shall have the first dance of Mr. and Mrs. Hans de Neuvillette. Please make space."

The guests quickly fell to the sides of the room, all eyes now focused on the newlyweds.

Hans took Anna's right hand with his left, placing his right upon her waist, and they began the _basse danse_.

"Your mind seems elsewhere," he commented as they swayed, fully in the eyes of the onlooking crowd. "Something troubles you, _ma chérie?"_

Forcing herself to relinquish her moodiness, Anna looked up into his eyes and saw he really was wholly focused on her. Perhaps his love was not as earnest and genuine as Elsa's, and more akin to someone who had a favourite pony in the stables, but he did adore her on some level. Deciding that at least for this one day, the day of their wedding, she could grant him her attention was the least she could do to counterbalance her and Elsa's masterful deception.

"Not a thing," she told him, technically honest. "Everything I need is here in this château, on these grounds… every last thing."

Though he grinned in response to her grin, satisfied, she felt a pinprick of guilt as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Hans might not have been the incredible example of a person that Elsa was, but as far as nobility went… there were more horrible sorts.

"Say… My beautiful, what would you like to do after this?" Hans lifted her chin up with gentle fingers. Anna almost felt guilty for having an _affaire de coeur_ , looking at eyes that was gazing down at her fondly, matching the grin that seemed to be filled with love. But that look had given her a hint of what he wanted to do.

Anna grinned as they twirled around the dance floor, paying no attention to anyone else.

"Well, tell me, what were you talking about with Elsa?"

Hans' smile faltered that left the silence between them heavy and cold. Anna's heart shook and finally, fell down to the bottom pit of her stomach. "I…" Hans' smile didn't seem convincing. "I'd like to speak about it to you… when we retire."

"Retire…?"

It was a surprise that Hans' face was flushed crimson and only then, Anna felt her gloved hands getting sweaty.

"There… is no easy way to say this, my dear."

"Please, speak." But Anna instantly knew.

"Let us lay together tonight, _mon chere epouse._ "

Though her stomach was curdling, she managed to force a smile and raise a finger to twitch back and forth. "Ah, ah, ah, I already told you why I do not wish to do that. However, if you like, we could find… other ways to enjoy each other."

It was a small sacrifice. Yes, she would much rather be doing things with Elsa… anything at all, even just sitting quietly in a crowded room. But Hans would expect certain things of their marriage, and she was obligated to fulfil those needs. She just wasn't obligated to fulfil _all_ of them in every way he requested.

"But I wish to become one with my bride!" he sighed, still keeping his voice quiet so they would not be overheard as they danced again, maintaining a facade for the guests. "Surely you will not be with child from a single night!"

"My husband doubts his virility?" she tittered, hoping flattery would help her case. "However… as I said, I'm not opposed to exploring each other to a point. Just…" Her sigh was heavier, and she allowed her very real sorrow to creep into the words she was saying. "I don't wish to conceive a child from a man who may be drafted to the front in Italy. Already, I dread losing you, but… to lose you _and_ be forced to endure raising _le enfant_ alone? Please, I cannot bear it!"

"Alright, alright," he shushed her, soothing her hair with his hand. "You make a fair point; some nobility have no worry about leaving children to be raised by the nannies and servants. We will not be of their ilk."

"I should hope not," Anna teased, managing a smile his way and inwardly sighing in relief at his agreement. "I'm certain any child of ours would much rather have his handsome father around to speak of with the other children. Oh, the tales they would regale them with!"

Perhaps the flattery may have been edging on thick, but judging by the broad grin that claimed Hans' face, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Perhaps when dear France tires of Italy and of war, we may try, yes?" he said, his hand drifting down to cup her cheek. "When she has no more need for cadets such as I."

"We may," she acquiesced. Thinking in the back of her mind that, if they made it out the other side of this war and he still desired to have children with her, she could attempt to figure out a way around that when it was a more pressing matter. For now, she had delayed him and his intentions for her body. That was paramount.

* * *

Elsa, having safely stored her copy of the _accord_ in a private, secure location in her chambers, returned to the hall.

From the edge of the room, she watched Anna dance. Even though she was dancing with another, she was grateful for the look of peace upon her face. But after a few moments she saw Hans lean in closer, and give her a kiss on the cheek. After that, while Anna's face had alighted with a grin, Elsa could see the tension present in her jaw and brow even from this distance.

 _What is he saying to her?_

Then she watched as his face flushed with crimson, and she knew _exactly_ what he was saying to _her_ Anna. It caused her heart to jump into her throat, her stomach churned violently, and she saw red—deep, fiery, bloody red. She fought against her _panache_ —the very essence of her being—to keep her feet rooted in place. To not storm into the center of the room and cause a disturbance, so malevolent was her fury in that moment.

Instead she gritted her teeth together roughly inside her closed mouth—relegated to stand by the wayside as she watched the tension so blatantly present to her, yet everybody else seemed completely oblivious to it, deepened upon the face of _son véritable amour, son âme soeur._

After a few minutes Anna's gaze met Elsa's, and both untensed slightly—though Elsa remained heedful, still concerned about the message of _'We'll talk later'_ conveyed by Anna's eyes.

The dance ended, and Anna curtsied for Hans as he bowed low at the waist. One of his cousins came to take her place for the following dance, but when his brother offered the same, she politely declined; her gestures made it clear she was pretending exhaustion. Then she made her way over to the punch table.

Elsa followed. She picked at the escargot as Anna helped herself to refreshment, sighing in relief at the bracing drink. Then the bride moved closer.

"This corset is awful," she murmured to her mentor.

"You look beautiful." The nervous woman picked up a shell and slurped the contents, almost more to seem as if she had business there than even to consume the food, which she did not taste. "When out on the floor, especially; everyone was watching."

" _You_ were watching, my sweet. Were you jealous?"

"Powerfully so." The admission took Anna off guard, and she turned to blink at her. "I wanted to snatch you away from him and have you all to myself."

Rouge tinted Anna's cheeks, and she glanced around to make sure no one was listening; of course, Elsa had already done so, but one could never be too sure. "If there would be no repercussions… I'd ask you to kiss me right here and now."

"And I would. But for now… we wait." Clearing her throat, she asked a question she really didn't want to ask. "So… will you lay with him tonight?"

Anna replied with a sharp edge in her voice, "No. I told you by the fountain that I would not." Her voice softened at the pained look on Elsa's face. "I'm sorry, I—"

"No. Anna, _I am sorry_. I trust you, _implicitly_. And… I never should have asked you that. I know you would not break your word, I just…" Her eyes darkened, while her lips drew taut. "I saw him from across the room, and I just _knew_ what he was talking to you about. I could feel the tension in your face from halfway across the room." The corner of her eyes glistened with the faintest hint of wetness.

"He did ask me to. I have delayed the issue, at least until he returns from Guise. Though I may have to do certain things still…" Her voice trailed off wiltingly, as a slight scowl twisted her lip.

Elsa's rage re-lit, jealousy tearing through her being like a wildfire. "He… you…"

"I…" Anna looked down at her feet. "Much as the mere thought of any contact with him disgusts me, I shall try to limit the contact to be about him—on him."

" _Chers cieux… ma doux, ma amour…_ What… what have _I_ gotten you into?"

"When I am with him, I'll be thinking of you," Anna promised her, though she did not sound joyful about that. More like a woman hanging onto one good memory to keep from succumbing to dread. Then she finished her drink and asked, "Care to dance?"

Rare though it was, Elsa laughed. "I would. Not that we should; it will raise questions."

"Let them talk. I wish to dance with my love on my wedding day, as is the custom, I believe?"

"Not when your love is someone other than _le jeune marié._ " But Anna was still blinking at her, waiting. Rolling her eyes, Elsa offered her hand, knowing that Anna would persist until she did. And Anna took it.

Slowly, they led each other out onto the dance floor, and Elsa timed a loud and bemused laugh merely for the gathered crowd. Something to keep them believing this was nothing but a couple of friends who were toying with convention on a lark.

Then she was lost in Anna's arms as they twirled around the floor. Eyes meeting eyes, hearts beating in unison with their steps. She really did look radiant, and Elsa would keep that memory etched into her skin for the rest of her days.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** The Wandering Quill, forkanna/Jessica-X, CanITellUSmthin, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, Cyrianu, nopantsparade/Issandri


	6. The Art of Exhibition

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 6**

 _The Art of Exhibition_

* * *

It was the longest month of Elsa's life, the time that passed. Each morning was spent in travel, a distance that seemed ages longer than it was truly, for Elsa had spent so much time sharing a room with her love that every millimeter was a mile in her heart. Whilst Hans, more and more desperate each day, searched for a man to send to Italy in his stead, Elsa overwrote his kisses from Anna's lips in similar desperation. They did little more than that, although both of them wished for Elsa to erase every one of Hans' touches from Anna's skin with her own hands, her own mouth.

And Elsa would listen patiently to Anna's half-explanations of what went on in their bedroom. Though he occasionally expressed displeasure that she would not permit him to touch her in her most intimate of places, he never forced her—and based on this, she did not attempt to commit homicide. Only felt passing disgust at thinking about what her poor Anna was forced to endure before she did her best to wash away the memory.

But the day did come when Hans could no longer avoid his charge; Italy called his name. With tearful goodbyes, he reported for duty and was whisked away to a far off land.

Of course, not all of the tears were an illusion; Anna had grown accustomed to Hans's company, both before and after the wedding. As many varieties of stress as it caused her to feign romantic affection for him, she had come to regard him as a sort of annoying brother figure. His leaving would leave a hole in her life… but one Elsa was only too happy to fill.

"The house seems so empty," Anna said on their first Hans-free afternoon, once she had arrived at her château. "I hate being there, so… I hope you don't mind me coming here instead of the other way around."

" _Jamais,_ _ma chérie._ I'm only too happy to play hostess." Her hand gestured toward the kitchen. "Can I interest you in a Bordeaux, or perhaps tea or something lighter?"

Anna grinned at her coyly. "Perhaps something much lighter," she replied as she grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled Elsa to her. As soon as they were close enough, she brushed her lips against Elsa's slowly, softly—savouring the tenderness of the moment, revelling in the ability to show her affections unrestrained.

Elsa very willingly reciprocated, gently taking Anna's lower lip between her own, sucking gently so as not to bruise it visibly. Anna responded with a low groan.

" _Ma chérie… ma amour… ma âme soeur…_ " Elsa uttered softly as she continued the kiss.

Anna's response came just as tenderly. " _Ma cœur… ma âme… ma vie…_ "

"You know," she began as she led Anna toward the kitchen after all, though her tone of voice was entirely different now, "I've made a few plans since we last discussed… our state of affairs."

"Oh?" Anna's smile turned uncertain. "Are… I mean, you aren't having second thoughts, are you?"

"Hm? Oh! No, no no no, _petite amie—_ never in a thousand years!" They both laughed nervously at the evaporation of the sudden serious mood. "But I thought… well, if you'll be here more often while he is away, I should make this more home than hotel. Your bedroom is well decorated and stocked with a few spare dresses, on the off chance you do not make it back to Château de Neuvillette before night falls."

The delicious little bow of Anna's lips turned wry. "I can't imagine any reason for that…" When Elsa rolled her eyes, she giggled and added, "And what other changes have you made?"

"Well. The back garden has quite high walls, covered in vines… and I know how you had been saying you'd like for us both to get more sun of late. Put some colour in our cheeks. So…" She threw up a single hand as if it were a trivial matter. "We need not worry about troublesome lines on our skin…"

"Troublesome- you mean…" Her teal eyes sparkled. "Lay out in the open, _à nu? Au naturel?!_ Elsa, that's positively scandalous! It's… well, it's an interesting idea, but could we really?!"

"Certainly… In fact…" Elsa hesitated, her cheeks flushed rose. "I-I was hoping… Well, after that one day… I was hoping I might paint you in similar fashion… using the garden as a backdrop."

"OH!" Anna's cheeks darkened a brilliant scarlet shade. "Of course, _ma bien-aimée._ "

When Anna shrugged out of her light jacket, Elsa's cheeks flared to match hers. "Ah, _now? Rien ne presse,_ my dearest."

Anna's saucy wink sent Elsa sputtering. "I thought I might… grow used to the state of being." She pulled the garment around herself and bit her lip, a sidelong and coquettish look drawing Elsa closer far more than a crooked finger might. "But if you prefer me clothed…"

"No!" Elsa spluttered, and cleared her throat. "I-I mean… I'd prefer to see you bare… you're too beautiful to have all these clothes covering you." Her cheeks flushed even redder, eyes unable to break free from her gaze. But God, she really wanted to do just that to cover her embarrassment of saying something like this. But it wasn't as if she'd never said something like that to her before… she just never got used to flirting in that sort of way.

Anna raised an eyebrow, giggling at how adorable Elsa was looking. Slowly turning her back to Elsa, she could feel the embarrassing gaze turn into a more… confused… curious… and an obvious, wanting gaze running down her back.

" _Ma chérie…_ would you like to help me undress? I find it rather difficult for me to reach behind my back…"

 _Oh, mon Dieu..._

There was nothing Elsa could do but capitulate, raising her hands to undo every last button. She had not intended for them to undress there, but outdoors, just before she painted… and now, they would essentially make the transformation into nudists with no period of critical thought beforehand.

Although… there _had_ been quite a lot of critical thought. Given that it had been several days since she last saw Anna, she had a wealth of time to dream up possible activities they could enjoy together. Painting Anna again was almost a given, being that it was her profession, but the sunbathing… she was not sure what had possessed her of thinking about it, other than a long, lingering gaze out of her window and musing about just how high the ivy-covered walls were. She simply had not expected to put such a notion into practice the instant Anna arrived!

"Come on," Anna teased once the dress was open in the back. "You're so shy, like a schoolgirl. _Vous êtes si mignon!"_

Pursing her lips, Elsa shucked the dress the rest of the way to the floor, petticoat and all. Anna gasped when she felt the air brushing her in so many places at once that were normally shielded from the elements at all times. All that was left now was her corset, the chemise, and…

And naught. It took all of her willpower not to do untoward things to the nearly-revealed form of her love. As she had promised herself, she would not turn the woman who meant more to her than all else in the world into a common _putain._ No matter how much both of them ached to go beyond certain boundaries.

Anna turned her head, to see Elsa just gazing with her lips apart. Her fingers were hesitant, barely even touching the strings that criss crossed up and down Anna's corset. "You can stare all you want, Elsa… but if you'd just strip me from these tight clothes…"

Elsa gulped, swallowing the words and stutters that could lead to an even more embarrassing moment. This time she took hold of the black strings, but she was shaking. Couldn't even bear to look directly into her eyes, or even land a single skin contact without trembling tremendously. Her skin was filled with freckles and a bit tanner than her… yet, the imperfection of it seemed quite perfect to Elsa.

"... If you'd strip me from this… I'd let you stare as much as you want."

Elsa twitched.

" _Touch_ as much as you want."

She whimpered.

So Elsa could do nothing else but unlace the corset as quickly as possible, naturally. Anna breathed a heavy sigh of relief when it was gone, and Elsa was smoothing her hands up and down her sides through the chemise.

"I feel so _en surpoids,_ " Anna sighed, though with no true bitterness

"Stop that. I'll hear no such talk of my love; you are no bigger than a twig." Then she began to remove the chemise, leaning down to press her lips hard against the neck that was revealed. "Mmm…"

"Ahhh," Anna groaned aloud, eyes fluttering closed. "Elsa… _Dieu,_ how you do things to me…"

Now that Anna was standing nude amidst a puddle of clothing in her dining room, having never made it to the kitchen, Elsa did slide her hands around to tease over the decidedly not-overweight stomach of her love. The slight softness was so pleasant to her, and she wanted to knead it as if pastry dough… but that could wait.

"Now to paint you. _Oh,_ how I will paint you… come, I've already set up out there."

"Ah, ah, ah," Anna teased, grasping the collar of Elsa's crisp white shirt. Not gently, either. "I thought we were… _both_ going to get some sun today."

The not-so-subtle implications layered in her tone brought a fierce flush to Elsa's cheeks. Of course they would both be devoid of clothing, but as with all prior instances of Anna assisting her in stripping...each time always felt like the first.

"It has been so long since I have gazed upon your heavenly form, my sweet," Anna murmured against her lips, not quite touching...yet. Her warm breath cascaded pleasantly over her skin, and Elsa leaned forward, claiming Anna's mouth with her own. The contact helped to distract her as hands tugged impatiently at her shirt, and they parted briefly to allow the girl to pull the garment over elsa's head, tossing it carelessly to the floor where the rest of her clothes lay scattered.

The lips began to glide down Elsa's collarbone, through the center of her chest—avoiding the peaks that they both knew would give Elsa a lot more pause, make the moment uncomfortable rather than enticing. Once her face was level with the tiny dip in the center of her stomach, the hands began to tug the trousers downward.

"Wh-what if I only want to tan my top half?" Elsa offered without much hope of it mattering in the slightest. Then she cried out in a most unusual high pitch when Anna's tongue flitted into her navel like a snake seeking refuge.

"Well," she told her scandalised love, "you won't let me play with you elsewhere."

"And I th-think we should add that to the list," Elsa murmured dazedly as she was shucked of clothing, down to her socks and boots. When Anna made to continue there, she hissed, "Leave me _some_ dignity!"

Both of the redhead's trim red eyebrows arched, her face clearly nonplussed. "Dignity of the feet?! You're so funny!" But the corner of her mouth twitched upward like a cat spotting a jay as she raised slightly again. "Alright… a compromise. You may keep your boots… if I can but kiss your lips once."

"One kiss? That's—" However, the placement of Anna's face just by the dusting of blonde hairs above the joining of her thighs told her she absolutely needed to reconsider her words. "No. No, Anna, I already told you—touching in that way as long as you are married to another… the guilt is not worth the pleasure to me."

Thankfully, Anna moved beyond the spot Elsa most desperately wanted her to be, her nose brushing a light, meandering path up to her neck and laying kisses upon her skin every once in awhile. "I know, my sweet," she sighed, forehead coming to rest on the crook of Elsa's neck. "Unfortunately, it does not lessen the strength of my most heartfelt wish...One of them, anyway."

Elsa's hands drifted to grasp at Anna's hips, nudging her back just enough for the girl to look at her in confusion. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on her lover's lips, murmuring once they parted, "We will find what happiness we can. That, I promise you, if nothing else."

"Alright. I know you mean to keep that promise, so… so alright." Then she turned and paced toward the hallway. "The garden is this way, I believe?"

Shortly, they were outside. Though the weather should have been starting to turn colder that time of year, it was more than warm enough for them to lounge outside. Birds even continued to sing their song, not having decided the time was right to journey south. The sunlight was dappled upon their skin where it slanted down through leaves and branches until they reached the very center of the small courtyard, gazing upward at the few clouds that dotted the sky.

"You really have set up already," Anna said, observing the bench that had a duvet filled with eiderdown draped across it to cushion it for her vulnerable form. The easel set up across it with a stool was also well-placed, angled just so… and she smirked. "That might not be so comfortable in your present state."

"Oh, _chut!_ I was going to disrobe after the painting before you—" But Anna's giggles silenced any further protests. She was merely going to continue having fun at her expense if she did not get on with the painting. "Take your position, please?"

Anna did so, letting her shoes fall to the paving stones while settling herself as Elsa heeded the command and took her own spot. A rumbling deep in the elder woman's throat threatened to become audible at seeing her paramour laid out before her like a delicacy from the farthest reaches of the Orient, but she stifled it quick. There was work to be done.

"Are you ready?" she asked as a smirk curled onto her lips.

"Very." But Elsa could give as good as she got. "Also, I think I'll start painting." It earned her a titter, which was entirely worth her effort.

And she did begin painting. Broad strokes, fine detail… and Anna was patient as ever, stretched out like a goddess awaiting mere mortals to do her bidding. Such sacrilegious thoughts were beneath Elsa, but she did not care much for religion in the first place; too many rules, demonising things that would be perfectly acceptable otherwise. Though of course, she was fine with painting iconic imagery for the church; it was what the people wanted, and she was not mighty enough to defy them.

Throughout the entire artistic process, her seat became less and less comfortable. Knowing why did not make it any more bearable. A blown kiss from Anna here, a stiff breeze that rustled her lower hairs there, and she was having a much harder time of painting than usual. Even so… it seemed to inspire a sense of urgency deep within her, blew on the coals of her imagination as much as her desire. So that the painting that took shape on the canvas…

 _Mon Dieu,_ Elsa thought to herself, not daring to share with her love just yet. Afraid to break the spell. _This is… transcendent. I'm not even creating this work, it is divinity guiding my hand…_

Never before had she reached such a level of artistic flow.

As such, it was almost a shame when Anna spoke up, asking if she could move, for her joints were beginning to grow too stiff from maintaining her position. With one last dab of her brush, Elsa set her materials down, leaning back in her stool to appraise the painting in its entirety.

Even with the last-minute disruption in her transcendent state, it was still, without a doubt, her best work to date.

"Elsaaaa…" Anna whined, and the blonde nearly had to clamp her legs shut at the spark of desire from hearing her beloved's voice in such a needy fashion.

"It is done," Elsa called back, hoping her voice didn't sound too high-pitched.

Elsa could only sit and watch as Anna slowly sat up and stretched her limbs. Her beloved was limber, and _very_ flexible. With the sun glancing down at an angle, she was able to make out the way the ends of short copper hairs glistened when Anna stretched her legs.

At that sight, she was forced to clamp her thighs together tightly in an attempt to… quell?—to hide?—her own gathering wetness—painfully aware that she could not engage in _plaisirs de la chair_ with her beloved, no matter how much either of them wanted to.

She breathily whispered, " _Ma bien-aimée ... savez-vous ce que vous ne me faites?_ "

Anna tittered in response, " _Oui…_ " before she cheekily added, "Though I could ask the same of you, _ma chérie_."

When Anna approached to view the masterpiece, Elsa grudgingly stood and moved aside, squirming and exercising great mental effort to keep from making it painfully obvious that she was so afflicted. The subject cast her professional eye over the canvas for a long few seconds.

"Well?" Elsa finally prompted.

"Now I see why you were uncomfortable letting me sell or show off the painting of you," she told her in a soft voice. "This is… beautiful, flawless, but I can't imagine letting anyone see it!" Smiling gently as she turned, her fingers laced with Elsa's. "My sweet is so talented."

"Your sweet had to make sure this lived up to the model's radiance." When Elsa shivered slightly, Anna raised an eyebrow, but she waved it off. "I'm fine."

A knowing glint in her eye, she glanced down at the stool on which she had perched to paint. Though Elsa had feared as much, she still looked away in shame to see the slightly damp spot. It was disgraceful, how little control she had over her urges… but Anna was pulling their hands toward it, fetching up Elsa's index finger and pressing it down against the seat.

"Shhh," she cut off Elsa's protest. "All great artists must sign their work; you know this." Eyes mostly on Elsa's, daring her to stop her or otherwise complain, Anna guided the damp fingertip to the lower-righthand corner and gently pressed it into the still-drying oils.

Elsa shuddered slightly, but proceeded to carefully guide her slicked finger across the work—tracing her signature with her own fluids, all the while Anna kept her hand lightly on Elsa's.

"This is…" Elsa began, mumbling, " _alors… indécent, mais… si érotique._ "

It was Anna's turn to shudder at that.

Before Elsa realized what was happening, she watched Anna press her own finger to the dampened spot on the stool. She just stood there, frozen in shock, as Anna daintily raised said finger to her lips, pushing it against them. Elsa gaped at the sight and stammered indecipherably, only for Anna to lick her lips—tasting of Elsa's essence. Anna let out a low, breathily-aired moan, "Elssaaaaa…"

Elsa felt a rush of heat flush through her entire body as she became lightheaded, and reached out for the nearby table to keep herself from falling over.

"A-Ahn-Anna?" she gasped out.

But Anna's hands were already on Elsa's shoulders. _"Zut alors,_ Elsa—are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you or anything, just… just tease you, as usual!"

"Anna, I can't… can't handle the teasing anymore. It's too much when I want to stop teasing and start… acting."

They were both silent for a long moment. The wind picked up, wafting their scents together and swirling around their bodies, causing Elsa to groan freshly when she caught them mingling. This was a hopeless situation; she never should have had such a potentially hazardous idea in the first place. Not while they were in this abominable situation with no ready solution.

"You can act whenever you wish," Anna told her again. For about the hundredth time. But she persisted this time, did not let Elsa's grunt of annoyance stop her. "No, Elsa, please; it's only _you_ who's caught up in statuses, and titles, and where the ring on my finger came from! Me? I just want to be with you so much it burns me up inside! _Merde,_ but I need you!"

Eyes pained, Elsa whirled and pushed nose to nose with her love, eyes wet even as her cheeks remained flushed with desire. "I KNOW! But… it isn't that simple, I won't sully your good name!"

"I don't _have_ a good name! I am a nothing, _gaspillage,_ a literal nobody! Only you think I have any worth, and that's all I care about, so why shouldn't I give myself over to you, body and soul?!"

Her desire was immediately forgotten.

" _G-Gaspillage?_ " Elsa staggered again, reeling at the thought of how little value Anna placed upon herself. " _NON!_ My dear, sweet, wonderful Anna… no, not you. Never." She brought her hands to her chest, wringing them together mercilessly. Her eyes filled with tears, body curling in on itself, as she wailed imploringly, "Anna, dearest… _bien-aimée_ … _please_ … you have more value in this world than any I have ever met. To hear you speak so… so _vilely_ of your own self… _ça ma brise cœur_." She collapsed into Anna.

* * *

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's shoulders, tightly hugging the woman to her.

 _What have I done?_

"E-Elsa?" she inquired hesitantly. "I'm… I'm sorry. I had no intention of hurting you—"

In a broken voice, Elsa interjected forcefully, "J-Just… _don't_ … _never_ say something like that about yourself. I cannot bear it."

"I won't, never again," Anna promised, stroking Elsa's cheek and wiping the tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Elsa."

" _Non_ ," Elsa rasped, and brought her hands up to cup Anna's face and bring her into a soft, adoring kiss. "I will lift you up in protest of those who would strike you down, to make you see yourself in such a way, _ma amour_." Tender lips peppered desperate kisses over Anna's fluttering lashes, flushed cheeks, delicate nose. " _Belle, charmant, beau, merveilleux, enchanteur_ Anna. _Doux_ Anna. _Pur_ Anna. My Anna."

And even as Anna began to shed a few stray tears herself, she returned the kiss with equal need, sliding her hands up and down her love's back. Time stood still as they reassured each other physically. As the sadness began to recede and their need began to grow stronger, neither of them withdrew, until they earnestly needed breath after so much time spent interlocked at the mouth.

"We go too far again," Elsa groaned, her hips flush with another pair.

"No one can see. No one will know—only you and I, and we _want_ this! So what's the harm?"

It seemed that Elsa was running out of excuses. However, she was not backing down on her stance. Pressing her hands into Anna's shoulders, she backed her up, casting a soft smile across at her.

" _Ma chérie…_ truly we are… overcome with, er… _stress._ " Anna giggled at that choice of word. "It's improper to touch each other, but… to bring _ourselves_ relief…"

Elsa paused briefly, before she concluded her train of thought. "But, perhaps we should retire indoors for refreshment first, if our _proclivities_ are not to be denied."

She giggled again. "Yes… I think that would be a good idea."

She took Elsa's left hand in her right, letting Elsa guide them back to the kitchen where they had left their clothing that morning.

Once there, Elsa fetched the Bordeaux and poured glasses for both of them, then set out the bread and cheese she had selected especially for this occasion. Neither of them had been hungry before, but the long hours of painting coupled with the outpouring of heat they were wasting due to arousal had depleted their energy levels most thoroughly. As they nibbled and sipped, they occasionally brushed lips, or made a comment or other about each other's exposed flesh.

"It really looks like a constellation?"

" _Oui…_ just here…" Her fingernail traced the route along her shoulder, prompting a giggle and a shiver from the owner of said pattern. "I could gaze at it for hours."

"Oh, Elsa, I _want_ you to gaze at it for hours. And the rest of me." Biting her lip, she again darted in to press her wine-soaked lips against another pair, as they had done so many times in the last few minutes. "Mmm… may we simply be _au naturel_ all the time? It's so freeing!"

"We can," she laughed, raising a finger to press against Anna's nose. "As long as we remember to keep a chemise and slippers by the door, in case someone comes to call. I won't have them catch either of us being so indecent!"

" _Oui,"_ Anna agreed with a sigh, "that would be unpleasant." She reached a hand up to caress Elsa's cheek, thumb brushing lightly over the barely-there freckles. "However...today is a day of pleasure. And I believe we still have need of such relief, _non?_ "

"Indeed," Elsa breathed, setting her glass on the table. "So long as we don't—"

"I know, I know…" Anna said, rolling her eyes as a smile graced her face once more. "So why not...separate, but together? Imagine it is I betwixt your legs and you, mine?"

"A-Are you suggesting—"

" _Plaisir solitaire,"_ her love all but purred as her hand traced the curve of Elsa's slackened jaw, to tilt her chin. "We may not be able to lay together, but that doesn't mean we can't lay beside each other _._ "

When Anna merely stood there, teasing her face and gracing her with such a steady, suggestive grin, Elsa had to blink a few times before she could make herself whisper, "Wait, you… surely you don't mean _here?!"_

"No!" Anna laughed, allowing her head to fall back as her hand fell to Elsa's shoulder. However.. a moment later, she pursed her lips in thought.

"Anna, you can't be serious…"

"Well, why not? No one's going to come in… it's not as if we're going to 'ruin' the table…" With a slight smirk, she shook her shoulders so that her pert little nipples alternately pointed up at her. "Where is that _panache_ of yours? Why has it abandoned me now?"

At first, Elsa merely gazed at her as if she were crazy. Then the insanity spread to herself; convention and decency fled in tandem. Picking up her glass, she drained it in a single gulp, then caught up its mate and sent them both sailing off in the direction of the stove. Anna yelped and jerked backward, shocked at the sudden din of shattering glass, but Elsa was already grabbing her upper arms to draw her into a feverish kiss, tongue poking at her bottom lip so suddenly that she only had time to change the scream to a moan before it was inside, her entire body falling slack against her lover's.

Anna was quickly drunken and flushed red into the probing tongue meeting her own. Her nails dug down Elsa's back, knees feeling like jelly-like substance and she was lost in her own paradise.

Elsa held her jaw delicately, pulling away from her bruising lips. She smiled timidly and watched the younger woman shudder, whimpering at the very slightest when the warmth of her lips were pulled from hers.

"I think… it's time for us to…"

Anna's teal eyes dilated, turning into a view of a vast orb of darkness. "Y-Yeah…" She giggled and brushed her lips on Elsa's and her hands wandered to her waist. "Yes… I'd like that very much."

And in between stolen kisses and giggles filling the empty halls, along with just… them… bare from any clothes, each contact was filled with lust and desire and every time, they'd gotten so hungry for each other.

But even so, they had to maintain their resolve. _Separate, but together,_ Elsa thought as her hand drifted to between her own legs, fingers brushing at her hardening nub. Before her, Anna did the same—a freckled hand descending to the ginger patch at the apex of her thighs.

Elsa's eyes slid closed as she groaned into the kiss, hips shifting forward to meet her hand and bump it back into Anna's wrist. Oh, they were treading a very fine line indeed… but it was a line she would gladly walk with the skill of an acrobat if it meant she could enjoy her love in this way without hating herself afterward.

"El...Elssaaa…" Anna moaned into her ear, and her hips gave a particularly vicious buck that had Elsa's fingers slipping between her wet folds from the force. Hissing, Elsa's free hand shifted from the girl's waist to grip at the table, steadying herself and simultaneously pushing Anna against it as her _protégée_ 's fingers sank into her own folds.

It was a _very_ fine line, indeed. With the back of their hands bumping against each other, hips grinding desperately for friction, and fingers stroking, thrusting—

Elsa felt herself growing hotter by the second, breathing getting shallower. She couldn't hold it much longer, and reached around Anna to her fiery red hair. Anna's groans were extraordinary and it sent shivers down her back, fingers working furiously in out and out of her sex, easily.

She gasped, and her breathing held. "O-Oh god, Anna…"

Anna screwed her eyes shut, leaning into the crook of her neck. Her thumb continued circling her little nub, a finger plunging desperately inside for release.

As they gyrated, Elsa could feel Anna raising her leg to wrap around her a few times, but she couldn't stay standing so it came back down. After about the fourth attempt, she broke the kiss to grunt, "Something… the matter?"

"I c-can't… I can't stay standing, I'm not…"

Wasting no time on trivial matters like questions, she scooped Anna up and nearly slammed her down on the table, only making sure to brace her head and neck upward. There was a squeak that was more aroused than pained from the young painter, and then she was gazing up at Elsa adoringly as her hand fell back to her aching sex within mere seconds.

Elsa's core throbbed at the sight, and she hoisted herself up onto the table as well, looming over the girl with her knees almost at the structure's edge. It was a precarious position and certainly not safe for work—or anything else, for that matter—but with Anna writhing beneath her, she found that she didn't care. Elsa's hand reached between her legs once more, fingers dipping past her blonde curls and into the inviting warmth beyond. She moaned as her hips and hand descended back down to grind against Anna's with greater fervor.

The table creaked and shook beneath them from the force of their gyrations.

"You…" Anna was a panting, writhing mess, but it still seemed like she had something more to say. "The way you're poised, it's as if you're… taking me… _comme un homme…"_

The phrase caused Elsa's eyebrow to twitch. Angrily and against her will, Hans came to mind—but Anna had told her she never allowed him to even so much as touch her secret rose, and she trusted her word. But that didn't mean the thought of losing this moment to him completely dispelled her ire.

"Then picture I am," she grunted, thrusting into herself faster… but also pulling out to slam into the back of the other hand repeatedly, prompting a small gasp of mingled pleasure and surprise from Anna each time. "Picture I'm… _bien doué…_ and stealing your virginity away in the night." Licking her lips, she held her hand still just long enough so she wouldn't topple when she shifted her legs to the inside of Anna's, spreading her further before she began to move her hips in the proper motion. "Imagine that my love for you is straight as an arrow, piercing into you over, and over…"

She punctuated each iteration with a fierce thrust of her hips.

"Hnnngg...Aaah! Ahh…E-Elsaa…" Anna keened, and Elsa knew she wouldn't be long now. Both of them, in fact. The tension that had built up ever since she had first started the painting threatened to boil over and bathe them in the warmth of its release. Elsa panted her beloved's name as the end drew closer and closer.

"Anna… oh, A-AAAANna, YES! _MA BELLE! NNNNHHAAAHH!"_

With an equal cry of unbridled, agonised pleasure, Anna arched her back like a bow and reached her end, trembling from every corner of herself. Elsa's position was like a rising tower above her, mouth agape and eyes unseeing as her hips instinctively pressed down against another pair as hard as was possible.

And as they held that moment, eternally finding joy in each other, Elsa began to feel more of her fluids gush down onto the back of Anna's hand. Her heart leapt into her throat when she realised this, but it was far too late to make any other arrangements; they were going to end up there, already had. The mixture of shock and gratitude in her lover's teal eyes confirmed as much.

Guilt curled around her throat and Elsa immediately retreated off the table, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste to put some distance and avoid mixing any of their fluids.

...Or rather, any further. She knew at least a drop or two had probably slid down Anna's hand to mingle with her own.

"E-Elsa?" Anna panted weakly, managing to push up from the table on her elbows. "What… what's wrong?"

But all she was greeted with was a soft, shivering back and Elsa's fingertips stabbing into her own upper arms. This was what she had been afraid of; it was too much like they had _rapports sexuels_ after all, which she had been completely against. It had felt so natural, so perfect… but it wasn't right for her to think so! How could she have so abysmally failed to uphold her very own guidelines for their affair?

For that's what it was. An affair. She was having an affair with a married woman, and she was the lowest form of life imaginable.

" _La suc…_ it ran down into me…" Anna's voice was joyous, delighting in the notion, even while the snake of guilt further constricted around Elsa's heart and lungs. How could she have grown so careless when not even a single day had passed since Anna was left alone with her?

"We can't do this again."

Her voice was soft, yet it seemed to echo in the sudden silence of the kitchen. Elsa hunched further into herself, fingers digging deeper into her arms. She could still feel her essence dripping down her thighs—proof of the one line she had endeavored not to cross. But with Anna around, with the freedom they had…

"I think you should go."

"What?" After a few strained seconds, Anna forced a laugh. "Don't be silly; a joke like that could get taken seriously."

"I _am_ serious, Anna! Look where we are! Look what we…" She still couldn't turn around, even though she felt like she should, to more clearly illustrate the problem. "There's so little difference between what just happened and what I swore would _not_ happen while you are wed to that… that _crétin!_ We have committed a _crime,_ can you not see that?!"

For a few seconds, Anna merely lay there behind her, still nude on her table. Still open to her, still everything she wanted but could not have. Then she whispered, "Then why did you push for me to marry him if you wanted me all to yourself? Why not just… just earn as much as we could from him and buy a _chateau_ on our own terms? I have… _never_ understood your need for me t—"

"I needed you to be _respected!_ To be viewed as a woman in good standing, a wife of a dignified house, and not some odd spinster who lives with an even more odd painter, it's…" Her tears and anguish were palpable as she shook and convulsed. "I am _ruining_ you! Destroying your life, and I w-won't do it anymore!"

Then a hand was spinning her around. Anna had slid to stand behind her at some point, and she only had the briefest of moments to glimpse the deeply-rooted rage in her freckled features before a still-damp hand was drawing across her face with surprising force.

 _SLAP._

Silence. And then…

"How _**dare**_ you."

Elsa could only stare at the floor, head still turned as her cheek stung with the fire of Anna's fury. She couldn't even bring herself to rub at the afflicted area, too shocked as she was that the girl had struck her so readily, so heavily.

"How _**dare**_ _you alone_ decide what is best for me," Anna continued in a livid hiss. _"How_ _ **dare**_ _you, Elsa Maurer."_

"What? No, that wasn't—" The hand raised again, and this time Elsa flinched away from it so much that Anna didn't bother to strike a second time. "ANNA!"

"You think I am some… some pretty, vapid thing you can order around?! Tell me what I can do, where I am to be, who I can and can't touch?! I thought you respected me more than that, but clearly—"

"NO!" Elsa burst out desperately, eyes wide and imploring, a quaver in her voice that neither of them had ever heard in it before. "That is not the case, I swear it before the crown and the church, and my own life! _Merde moi,_ I did not mean for you to come away with that impression, but if you have, then… then I have botched this worse than I thought!"

Frustrated by Elsa's boot-assisted height, Anna's hand grabbed the back of her neck and forced her face down to her level, nails digging into flesh. _"I_ am Roxanna, _not_ you! I want to feel your body against mine, and I will have that, and… and you will stop these silly protestations that I'm too 'pure' to be 'tainted' by you, that you must be in charge of my well-being! The only way you could _truly_ harm me is to keep me from your side—the way you tried to do a moment ago!"

Her furious rant continued, "Elsa, _you_ are the one I'm _in love with_. The one I want to _spend my life with_. The one I wish to _lay with_. _NOT_ him. So you do _**NOT**_ get to make that decision for me, propriety be damned."

Elsa stood stock still—mind racing, heart pulsating rapidly, breath coming in short staggered gasps.

"B-b-but—"

Anna exclaimed emphatically, "NO! No 'but's! I love and respect you, and can accept that you have limitations. _However_ , _you_ agreed to this. _You_ suggested this. _You_ climbed on top of me on that table. And neither of us actively, directly participated in bringing the other to release—albeit barely, I'll grant you that point."

"I… I thought I explained myself better than this," Elsa breathed, sounding terrified of this moment, even with Anna telling her how much she loved her. "That it wasn't about how much we cared or didn't care, that's never been… I know you're fond of me—"

"No. Not 'fond'; you aren't a favourite horse in the stables. You're the only person I share my heart with, Elsa."

"Alright!" she grumbled, annoyed at having been put off her train of thought by such details. "You _do_ love me! You…" Her ire and sadness melted away for an instant when the truth of it struck her. "You love me."

Anna's eyes closed, and she let herself exhale long and deep. But when she opened them again, they were as serious as ever. "And I'm going to keep on doing just that. Now… you were going to say something again about keeping me respectable. It's not that I don't appreciate that; I do! But when it gets in the way of our happiness together, it's just so, so… _sans importance, non?"_

Elsa averted her gaze at that, and nearly flinched at the hand that cupped her chin, urging her to look the girl in the eyes once more.

"It is not up to you to decide if I am sullied, _ma amour_ ," Anna whispered heatedly. "That alone is up to me. And, the way I see this...we've simply consummated our marriage. A marriage in all but name, and even then, arguable. I said my vows _to you_. I pledged my heart _to your_ s."

"Anna…" was the only thing the blonde could manage to say, her voice all but lost by the intense fierceness shining in her lover's eyes.

"Do you understand that? My heart, Elsa, belongs to you!" With that declaration, Anna reached for Elsa's hand and laid it firmly above her left breast, holding it there so the other woman could feel the rapid thumping of her heart. "No one but you can affect me this strongly. You make my pulse dance with every little thing you do. Hans cannot do this to me. He never has and he never will. Only you. Only ever you!"

Anna grasped the hand placed over her heart within her own and brought it up to her lips, nestling a tender kiss on the back of it and squeezing it gently. "If you choose to reject me this way… my heart will be torn to pieces and cease to beat. I could no longer bear any happiness because my happiness lies with you."

Elsa finally mustered the will, the courage to speak—her _panache_ no longer lost to the roil of thought and emotion swirling through her.

"Anna, sweet Anna… _je suis amoureuse de toi, trop._ " Fresh tears trailed over flushed porcelain cheeks. Lacking control, she slipped back into her mother-tongue once more, voice hoarse, " _Bitte verzeih mir. Ich liebe dich._ " She took the hand pressing hers to Anna's breast, and pressed it against her own over her racing heart. " _This_ is _for you_. Forever."

Her other arm wrapped around Anna's back, crushing her beloved against her as she crashed their lips together fervidly. After a few moments, she pulled back only to lean her forehead against Anna's.

"Please, forgive me… I love you so much. I just did not want to see your name run through the streets like that of a common _putain_ , or worse… _une déviant_. You've such a _cœur doux pur_ , I feared that it would ruin you. I would give up every possible chance for my own happiness, if it meant seeing yours was fulfilled. And—"

Anna silenced her with another kiss.

And another.

And _another_.

"Elsa…the only thing that would fulfill my happiness is to be by your side," Anna assured her as she carded her fingers through blonde locks.

"If you are certain," Elsa sighed, but she could no longer sound so worried and frantic. Even with the stinging in her cheek from Anna's reprimand, she felt better about their relationship than she had since its conception.

"I am." Then she chuckled softly to herself. When Elsa leaned back with a querying look, she shrugged and whispered, "It's nothing, _ma belle."_

"Is it? Go on, tell me."

Cheeks flushed and eyes downcast, she took her time about answering. Then she confessed, "I… well, I don't know if it's alright for me to say… but I really love… to hear you speak German."

" _Deutsch?"_ Elsa repeated, arching a brow. "I didn't know you were interested in hearing it. You never expressed the desire before."

"Perhaps because I wished to express _other_ desires at the time," she heard Anna mumble, and the blonde chuckled a little at that.

Elsa smirked and replied— _intentionally,_ this time—in her mother-tongue, " _Andere Begierden, sagen Sie?_ "

Anna's previously crimson cheeks adopted a darker, scarlet hue. " _O-ohhh…_ " she panted.

" _Ich liebe dich…"_

Anna shivered, feeling cold; slender fingers trailed up her back and hot breath swept over her ear. She didn't need to ask Elsa what it meant because she already knew after hearing her say those three words over and over again. She hadn't gotten used to it… and each time, it'd sent waves of joy to her smile and pleasure to her burning loins.

The fingers trailed into her auburn hair, splayed softly between the strands. Elsa gave the slightest of smiles and the softest of sighs.

 _"Ich möchte mit dir schlafen..."_ Anna groaned, her jelly-like legs nearly giving out. Elsa chuckled, and wrapped an around around her waist. "Are you… sure you still want to do this? You seem a bit…"

"Enchanted? Yes, I am..." she breathed against the bare skin of her shoulder. She nuzzled into her and _dieu_ , she was loving her scent. So fragrant… so soft… Anna would be able to recognize it anywhere, anytime.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "One of your... _indulgences_ , I suppose?"

Her cheeks flared red. "Y-You could say that."

Leaning in close so her lips brushed the shell of Anna's ear, Elsa breathed, " _Meine schöne_ Anna…"

At the visible shudder to her beloved's freckled form, her hand trailed up to cup Anna's cheek, dusting kisses along the curve of her jaw. _"Dein Vater muss ein Dieb sein,"_ she murmured in the space between them, leaning back just enough to brush their noses and lock gazes, _"Doch er hat die Sterne vom Himmel genommen...und sie dir in die Augen gelegt."_

Those very eyes were dilated—black threatening to swallow teal as Anna shuddered once more in her arms. She closed them, burying her face into Elsa's bare shoulder as she grumbled, " _Dieu,_ Elsa…"

" _Ich bin nicht Gott."_

"Oh, hush!" Anna grumbled further, and Elsa fancied she could feel the heat of Anna's cheeks. "Even in German, your tongue hasn't dulled with its sharpness…I may not know what you're saying, but I can tell you're teasing me."

Elsa smirked and kissed the redness of her cheeks. _"_ _Ich mag Äpfel."_

Anna pouted. "Elsa!" And she nearly let out a groan as she felt Elsa's lips caressing warmly on her neck. She could feel that stupid smirk crossing her face and gave Elsa a little slap to the shoulder.

" _Wieso hast du mich geschlagen?"_ Elsa frowned, her nose nuzzled into her hair. _Gods, her sweet, sweet scent._

The girl growled, "You're still teasing me!"

"I am. And I doubt I'll ever cease delighting in it," the blonde cheekily responded, chuckling as she nuzzled further into Anna's hair. Her fingers drifted to the girl's sides, lightly drumming against her sensitive skin.

"Hey! Th-That tickles!"

Elsa widen her eyes, ceasing her fingers and pressed her palms on her waist. "You're ticklish."

The redhead continued laughing, jerking and squirming away from her fingers. "A-And you're not?!"

She laughed, and Anna slowly leaned into the woman. Her arms wrapped around her neck, head leaned against her shoulder. Her hair tickled Elsa's nose and slender fingers grazed around her neck, played with the little blonde hair loose from her braid. They were calm, feeling each other's hearts pounding against their own chests.

" _Bonjour."_

" _Bonjour_ to you, also."

Anna grinned, tugging onto Elsa's hair. "Shush, you. I… If you're not ready to… _fais moi l'amour…_ I won't force you to."

Elsa hummed absently, pressing a light kiss to the freckled shoulder before her. " _Merci, ma belle._ I'm feeling rather...tired, from the day's events. In more ways than one, I suppose...I would not mind sleeping with you—simply laying beside each other, enjoying the comfort of another…"

"I would like that," Anna said quietly, and Elsa could almost feel the smile in her voice. Indeed, she could feel the curve of lips against her neck. "Ah...and I think you _should_ be tired from 'claiming' me so fervently, so passionately."

The girl laughed, and it was Elsa's turn to swat halfheartedly at her arm. Her cheeks still grew warm, though more out of lingering shame rather than embarrassment at Anna's bluntness regarding their activities. The contents of their earlier discussion nudged at her mind, but for now, Elsa set them aside. It would take some time to break old habits, to... _relax_ , in a word. Relinquish control instead of fretting as she was wont to do. Her fears of discovery were not unfounded, of course, but for now…

For now, she would enjoy and share in the happiness of her beloved—of the one whom she had pledged her heart to until the end of their days.

" _Ich liebe dich…Anna."_

" _Je t'aime, Elsa."_

A few minutes later, they found themselves in bed—fingers stroking through each other's hair and eyes full of longing for the other as a comfortable silence settled over them. They remained naked, legs tangled around each other and their skin shimmered through the night. Only a flimsy piece of blanket covered their intimate parts.

Stars filled the night sky, clear from any clouds. The moon shined brightly and the leaves rustled outside of Elsa's room.

Anna sighed into her fingers, eyes closing. "That feels nice…"

The blonde grinned, tucking her arm between her pillow and her head. "It's late."

"I know…" she yawned and a sparkle of tear peeked out of the corners. "We should sleep but…"

"I could look at you all day, all night without getting bored."

"Why, I was going to say just that." Anna laughed heartily, letting Elsa tuck her under her chin, arms hugging the slender blonde's waist. She hummed, body in complete relaxation. If she was with Hans, they would've slept in separately. Anna would've protested against it.

Contrary to her words, Elsa couldn't resist Morpheus' pull, calling her to rest after another minute of struggling to stay awake. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, threatening to close at any given moment. She pressed a kiss to the top of Anna's head, smiling against her flowing auburn tresses as she gave in to sleep's comforting embrace.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** nopantsparade/Issandri, forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill, CanITellUSmthin, Brown Turtle


	7. The Art of Presentation

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 7**

 _The Art of Presentation_

* * *

The next several weeks were a flurry of laughter, wine, and carnal desires seen breathed into life. Elsa and Anna could not keep their hands and eyes off each other—even if they didn't quite throw caution to the wind yet. Much though it frustrated her to no end, Anna did respect her mentor's wishes to at least observe _some_ sense of propriety… though that propriety seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each passing week.

Quite memorable was the day Anna had taken it upon herself to help her love press grapes into wine; they wanted the bottles to remember their time together once it had matured, and to drink it some year on their anniversary. Of course, it ended as them both being violet-stained up to their knees and spotted all elsewhere, hands sliding all over each other's nearly-nude forms. Given what else ended up in the wine, they could not in good conscience serve it to anyone else anymore.

Then the dark day came. Hans returned from Guise, having successfully earned his leave due to helping rally and train the troops that would be needed for the mounting effort.

It was a few days before Christmas when the news arrived of his return. Hans himself stepped through the gates of his _château_ on Christmas Eve, bearing gifts for all who held his favor, but none more so than his wife. And after weeks of wonderful intimacy with Elsa, Anna knew it would take the blonde all she had to conceal the ire she must feel at every kiss, every touch, that Hans lavished upon her.

"My beautiful wife, I have so sorely missed you!" their patron proclaimed as he planted another kiss on the corner of her mouth, leaning back afterwards with her hands clasped in his. There was a hint of hardness in his green eyes—no doubt an effect of his time spent with the other soldiers—but Anna had an almost expert knowledge on discerning lustful looks, and picked up on that particular glint as well. She suspected she would be carrying out her wifely duties by the end of the day, if not sooner.

At least Hans would be returning to the front the day after Christmas, so she would have no need to worry about him pushing the issue of children during his reprieve…

But despite the distress and all the fatigue exposed in his green eyes, he was unable to let them close for the day. His fingers slid to her cheek, feeling the warmth that he hadn't experienced for a long time. He wanted to see her and be with her for the day. She was his wife, after all.

"My darling, how have you been without me?" His smile faltered. "I'm sure… nobody has come to bother you."

Anna leaned into his hand, and hers atop of his. She needed to remember… all of this was merely an act. Elsa was her lover, and she was hers. She smiled with grace and her eyes layered with tears. _An act. This is just an act._

An act she was doing, and she was exceptionally good at that.

"I've been well," she chuckled, and her words flowed so smoothly that he didn't think this was ever an act. She tightened her hold on Hans' hand. "Elsa has been keeping me company."

Her husband sighed and reclined into a hug. "I'm glad, my dear," he breathed, and Anna knew… how relieved he was to see her. After all that time apart, speaking of such grave matters day in and day out, it must've been hard for the poor man. Anna shouldn't be pitying him… but the rawness of his voice, so sore and frail, left her aching inside. At some point, she had liked him in a way, but now… she shouldn't be.

She was determined to not be anymore. Anna smiled, awkwardly, patting his broad back. "Please don't worry about such trivial little things." It pained her to say that. "But, you're exhausted… I would like you to rest for the day."

Hans pulled away, taking a good look at her. "Oh dear, you've gotten…"

 _Oh no._

"... brighter. You've been having fun without me, haven't you?" Hans chuckled. Hardly even a laugh.

Anna raised an eyebrow. _Define 'fun'._ "I have; and now, I will continue to do so and you will have a day of rest. Would you do that for me, my darling husband?" She put her fists to her hips and huffed a breath.

Hans gulped and nodded immediately to her command. Bowing, even. "Of course, my Queen. Whatever you say."

Still...she couldn't entirely shake her feelings of sympathy. She could only imagine how onerous his duties must have been, after all. "Perhaps...when you have rested, we could play some chess? I've taken it up in your absence. I'd like to think I have a fair chance of beating you in at least one game."

He smiled. One devoid of his earlier lust and filled simply with the relief of returning home. "Perhaps, my dear. Perhaps."

He stepped back, giving her hands one final squeeze before releasing them to head for his chambers. The servants moved to retrieve his bags and other belongings as Anna watched him leave.

The girl sighed, hands balled up into fists in front of her. "Guess… I should check up on Elsa." She was confident that right now, Elsa would be in poor mood. She doubted anything would calm her from her heightening jealousy—Anna almost giggled at that—other than her own methods.

Coming into her room, Anna saw her by her window, a glass of wine in her hand. Grinning with delight, she walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her back. Her lips pampered her with gentle kisses on her neck, lightly brushing the tip of her nose down her skin. Elsa didn't even react and the wine glass twirled with dark red liquid dancing alongside it.

"So how was it?" The harshness of her voice told Anna that she was definitely being resentful. Pouty, perhaps.

"I'll tell you, if you look at me." She didn't. Anna smirked. _"Es-tu fâchée?"_

Elsa turned her head slightly, eyes dark and glittered with jealousy. _"Non."_

"Liar."

The blonde tilted her head. "A little, perhaps."

She landed another kiss behind her ear and whispered, _"_ _J'appartiens a toi._ _"_

Elsa sighed as Anna left a lingering kiss. "I'm sorry," she apologized. Anna stopped her gesture and gave her a brow.

"Is this about our relationship? I thought we went over this, Elsa. You know it is you who I want to be—"

"It's not that," Elsa interrupted. She rubbed her temples trying to expel the previous anger she felt moments ago when Anna was with Hans. "I just...hate feeling like this when you are with him. I know you say you are mine and how I am yours, but I feel like I shouldn't be angry. Jealousy is a rather ugly feeling."

Anna simply chuckled at the comment and gave Elsa a quick peck on the lips. Even though Elsa knew the feelings were mutual between them, she hated having to be so possessive around Anna. Anna was technically already hers, if they were to remove the matter of it being an affair and going behind Hans' back. What did she need to worry about?

"I'm guessing you are not the best at keeping your jealousy from acting up?" Anna teased, but in no way was meant to be mocking.

"No…" Elsa ashamedly admitted. Trying to clear her mind from negative thoughts, she quickly changed the subject to something that didn't directly affect her emotions towards Anna.

"How is Hans? Has he...spoken about the war, or anything of the sort?"

"He seemed rather… morose," Anna mused, nibbling on her lip. "No, that's not right… But he was, oh, I don't know. Our talk was strange." She didn't want to bring up her sympathies, or Hans' reception of her as his wife. It was already hard enough to see Elsa struggle with her feelings, and Hans would go away again within the fortnight. Elsa would be here, and Anna wanted her to feel comfortable enough to seize Anna as her own, truly and fully.

Perhaps that would erase Anna's own empathy towards the man.

"...We will have to find happiness where we can while he is here. I will be expected to at least spend a day with him—if I don't, it may arouse suspicion." There was no use getting around those words, even though she knew Elsa would not want to hear them. "I have...bought us some time for today. So we should probably—"

Whatever she wanted to say next was cut off by Elsa pulling her into a searing kiss; a hand settling possessively on the small of her back while the other cupped her face. The blonde pulled away before Anna could return it with equal fervor, bumping their noses together as she rasped, " _Stay._ _Please_ … don't go to him tonight."

"Elsa, he's not going to force me," Anna insisted, rubbing soothingly at her lover's back. "He promised he wouldn't, and with returning to the front so soon—"

"But how do you know the war hasn't changed him?" Elsa whispered, "You said he was acting strange. What if he decides that life's too short and...and…"

Anna hugged her tightly, nearly crushing the blonde to her body.

"My sweet," she whispered, pressing a hand to her cheek. "I would never do something to hurt you in such a way."

Elsa wanted to believe that, and grabbed her hand to hold it warmly. She very much wanted to believe the girl… she always sounded convincing.

" _Ne partez pas."_

Anna tensed and pulled away, her eyebrows furrowed. "Elsa… but what if… he'll find this suspicious! I need to go… and spend at least a day with him. Just one short day! It's all I need do to keep this. To keep _you._ " She held her hand tight, eyes searching for an answer as of why… why Elsa would be possessive now? How could she risk something like this?

Elsa looked down to the ground, eyes blank from any harsh emotions. "I just… need you."

"And you still have me, beautiful. Elsa…"

Elsa had to mentally slap herself. It was only for a day; she could handle that, right? Mistrusting her now would call into question whether she truly loved Anna, or viewed her as a mere prize to be kept. As much as she didn't want Anna to be with Hans, even in this superficial way, Elsa needed to force herself to be the better person and trust her love. And hopefully, also work through her own obsessive leanings.

She took a slow deep breath, and finally conceded, "Okay… I'll make no more complaints, but would you please tell me whether he… goes too far? Can you promise me that?" Elsa could feel a lump in her throat, and no amount of hard swallowing could get rid of it.

Moreover, Elsa needed to try to trust Hans, difficult as that may be. She needed to trust that he would not try to force himself against Anna's request to delay their intimacy again.

"Yes, _ma bien-aimée_. I shall tell you. But Elsa, I still hold my promise to you from before—I will not lay with him. _Je suis à toi,_ Elsa. _Vous seul._ "

Elsa sighed deeply, and rested her forehead upon Anna's. "I… I know. I _know_ it, I do! This… aaarrgghhh…" she groaned in frustration. " _Dieu au-dessus_ , why? Why did I ever agree to help him court you? Why did I not follow your lead, and have us run away together alone—consequences be damned?"

Anna began softly as she cupped Elsa's cheek, "Oh, Elsa—"

With a mirthless chuckle, Elsa replied tenderly, " _Bitte verzeih mir_ , Anna, for I have been a fool."

"Only _my_ fool," Anna laughed, less hollowly than her lover did. Kissing her on her burning cheek, she whispered, "But of course, since this entire conversation is private, I can tell no one. You're safe."

Sighing, she petted along the back of Anna's neck. "Truly a comfort. Now, off you go; if you're going to start stroking Hans's—"

"ELSA!"

"—ego," she finished with a wry smirk that did little to mask her nausea and lingering ire, "then you had best be on your way. I shall see you at Christmas breakfast, then?"

Both of Anna's slender arms slid around Elsa's waist, and she drew her down into a long, contemplative, exhilarating kiss that rivalled all that came before it. Then she drew back just enough to lean up to her ear and whisper, "Nothing could keep me from you tomorrow, _chérie._ "

With that declaration, Anna stepped back, throwing a wink over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. She could still feel Elsa's gaze on her back before shutting the door, but despite all that had happened upon Hans' arrival...she couldn't keep the smile off her face at the thought of tomorrow.

Christmas day.

It would be her second year celebrating it with a roof over her head and presents to receive that weren't in the form of pitiful glances from those on the streets. These comforts were still something of a novelty for Anna, and she knew Hans would make the event more lavish than the year before, now that she was his wife. But, perhaps, what would make this day _far_ better than previous Christmases was not the food or the drinks or the presents or even the snow…

...but the knowledge that someone loved her— _truly_ loved her—in every sense of the word.

And that was the best gift she could ever ask for.

* * *

For Elsa, Christmas morning was very quiet within the walls of her home. She had breakfast and got dressed for the day—in a _dress_. The dress was made of incredibly soft velvety silk dyed baby blue, and it fit her perfectly—narrow bands of material came up over her shoulders from the bodice, which hugged her slim figure before it flared out from her waist to drape loosely around her hips and fell to her ankles.

Once finished, she prepared the few presents which she could give out publicly to take over to the de Neuvillette estate—a long plain linen smock for Anna to paint in, some fruits for Kai and the rest of the house's _serviteurs_ , and a magenta cravat for Hans.

In secret she had also procured a thin, light bracelet of silver with a snowflake pattern for Anna, which she would give to her love in private the next time she came to Elsa's home.

Of course, it was Kai who opened the door, welcoming her back to her former place of residence with a warm smile and a sweeping gesture. She did away with pomp and ceremony and brought him in for a brief hug with the arm not clutching the packages, which he enjoyed with a blustery little laugh that made her grin. Then he took her gifts to place with the others as she made her way to the parlour.

There stood Hans and Anna, looking very much like a matching set, both bedecked in greens and golds and scarlets that matched the trimmings hung up around the room, sparkling in the light of the myriad candles. Anna's hair was done up in an ornate bun, which made Elsa chuckle, so used to her braids was she now. Anna was swatting Hans playfully on the shoulder and tittering at something he'd just said as she hid her smile behind her glass; the picture of a "wife", as one was expected to behave.

There were a few relatives of the lord of the manor scattered around the room, involved in meandering conversation, and one or two of Hans's fellow military who had no home to call their own—or else none they wished to find themselves in for the holiday. They rounded out the party, which Elsa supposed was good enough reason to have invited them along.

"Ah, there's my paragon of artistry!" Hans called across the room, once spotting her. He raised his glass, clearly overjoyed at her arrival. There was a secret smirk down deep within Elsa's stomach at seeing that; he still had no clue what was going on behind his back. Even though she still resented having to give up Anna for the pair of nights he was home, that small, petty revenge helped soothe the savage beast she was just barely able to contain.

"I see you haven't lost your theatrical flair," she responded with what she hoped sounded more casual than biting. The broadening smile on his face indicated that she had succeeded, and Hans waved her over, reaching for another glass carried on a nearby servant's tray.

"If anyone has a flair for theatrics today, it would have to be you," the man said, handing her the drink once she came to stand beside Anna. His gaze swept over her briefly, a chuckle passing through his lips. "I didn't think you'd wear such a dress for the occasion. Although...it does suit your artistic sensibilities."

"This old thing?" Elsa laughed, twirling for him. She heard Anna snort at her overly-feminine activities, given how much she tended to eschew them the rest of the time. "Both of you look quite smart. _Joyeux Noël_ to you."

"And to you, Elsa," Anna said, keeping her voice both more casual and formal than usual. "Have some wine; it's not as… _robust_ as your stock, but it is quite fine, I assure you."

That single word put a tiny burning ember in her heart that bolstered her more than she would care to admit. Referencing aloud their foolishness in crafting their own vintage, in front of so many people… naturally, they would never suspect her meaning, but it was like a secret message hidden in a more obvious one, where only the two of them held the cipher.

"Then I shall try it," she breathed, casting her a knowing smirk before raising it to her lips. Of course, it was a flawlessly smooth experience, and a fine year. Nodding appreciatively, she moved her gaze to Hans and said, "My compliments."

"Only the best for today," he replied before tilting his head back and downing the remains of his drink in one go. Placing the glass back on the tray, he looped an arm around Anna's waist, tugging her close to him as he used the other in a broad, sweeping gesture.

"Come! Let us exchange presents, _non?_ And afterwards, we feast!"

While Elsa did seem quite displeased by the gesture, she was smart enough not to disrupt her act with pure jealousy.

Anna smiled kindly and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'd very much like that, my husband." The blonde took a deep breath, exhaling out the harsh words into a single breath as she was just about ready to scream.

" _Bien!_ Please, Elsa, join us." Hans stretched out a hand to her. She stared at his gloved hand, and then back at Anna. The redhead was chewing on her lower lip, eyebrows furrowed anxiously as she waited for an answer that would possibly leave everyone on bad terms.

And Elsa wondered how her lover could even contain herself from acting in disgust, because now, Elsa was ready to burst. But instead of bursting, she took his hand, gentle fingertips holding his. She was almost surprised by how she wasn't crushing his bones at all.

She grinned, convincingly, but feeling quite awkward while she was twitching with jealousy. "That would be _spectaculaire_."

Elsa could almost see Anna relaxing in relief.

So they retired to the tree, exchanging said presents. There was a lot of waiting for the other guests to do so, and a lot of those gifts were the sort that were forgettable or saleable; candelabras, brass knockers. Statuettes that were ornamental but of no high value. Then came time for the head of house and his wife to open theirs, as had been the custom for generations in his family.

Whereas the presents Hans received were of the finer sort—jewelry and clothing, to name a few—it was heartening to see that most of the presents Anna received had been tailored to her artistic tastes. The girl was given paints, brushes, sponges...and the new smock Elsa presented with—mostly—feigned enthusiasm. For even though she knew her true gift to Anna would be given away from prying eyes, it still brought a smile to her face at the way those teal eyes lit up at the sight of another present.

"Oh! _Merci,_ Elsa!" the redhead said as she held the smock up to her form, twirling herself around as if she would a dress, "It feels so soft, too!"

"I'm glad you like it," Elsa said, joining a few of the other guests in chuckling at Anna's delightful antics.

"My Anna does enjoy her painting so," Hans joked. "I'm lucky her eye for beauty seems to have been blind when she caught sight of me!"

During the smattering of laughter, Elsa rolled her eyes, but no one noticed.

The rest of the affair passed amiably enough, with dancing and song, wine and conversation. Then came _Le Réveillon de Noël,_ or its continuance for those who had celebrated the night before. Bellies full of goose and frog legs and all other manner of succulence, they moved on to the Yule log, which some were unable to even touch, so overflowing were their stomachs. None went hungry that eve.

Then Hans called for Elsa to share a warm drink with him on the second floor balcony. As they ascended, he asked after simple things, such as her health, finances, artistic pursuits. He also shared a bit of the military news he hadn't already covered the day before—or at least, what he was at liberty to discuss.

"You didn't call me all the way up here for small talk," Elsa accused casually. "Is something the matter? Or are you simply tired of the festivities?"

Hans sighed, his arms crossed against his chest. "I was hoping… you could promise me something." The atmosphere grew heavy, but the winter wind was quite soothing through the evening sky. Stars shined and the moon glowed gorgeously down at the two.

Elsa didn't know what was amiss with him. His green eyes grew distant, looking out to the ground beneath them. The music barely registered to Elsa's ears, but the chattering in the ballroom was quite boisterous. She was almost glad that they were able to get out of the crowded place to a quieter area.

But… Elsa didn't seem quite happy about that right now.

Hans turned to her, and his eyes shined. _Tears?_ She wondered.

" _Qui a-t-il…?"_

He smiled. "I was hoping… you would take care of Anna for me after tonight."

Elsa blinked, confused, but she was quite eager to hear what he'd say next. _"Quelle?"_

"I'm going to the front, remember? And unfortunately…" Gods, he seemed so tired. The bags below his eyes seemed to have gotten darker… bigger… and he'd seemed thinner than when they'd last had a proper talk together. "Unfortunately, I may not be back soon."

He chuckled a little, though it was devoid of mirth. "I tried as best as I could to find a replacement...but it seems that those who owed me favors had also been called to the front, and my commanding officers seem to have an infuriatingly strong moral code. We're all damned together, I suppose." Hans managed a little smile after that, glancing in the direction of where the festivities were still in full swing. "I do not wish to damn Anna in my absence either. So...you'll take care of her, won't you?"

"O-Of course." Elsa didn't mean to stutter in her answer, but his current demeanor was certainly strange, as Anna had mentioned earlier.

"Ah. Then that is some relief."

"You needn't have even asked, I hope you know. She is my dearest friend, and I wouldn't even _fathom_ letting her suffer through life alone should… should you not return. But of course, I am honoured you would ask."

Waving a hand as if the matter were trivial, he leaned against the railing and stared up at the cold sky. "You… probably don't think I've noticed that you find me unworthy of her."

"Oh, do not say such—

"Please. It's been etched into your face since the moment you stepped through the door, and I've caught hints of it before tonight. You think Anna deserves this life, yes, but better than the man I am to share it with her."

All Elsa needed do was not respond and he would have confirmation. Still, that seemed such a cruel truth to foist upon a man who would be staring down hardships and bitter decisions for months, if not years. "That is… you do yourself a disservice. I know you are honourable, and a sort that would never harm her."

"Oh dear, I would never hurt such a beautiful girl as her."

Elsa didn't seem impressed with his wording and glowered at the fact that he must've only seen Anna as his personal treasure. Not a woman that he'd truly love, but a woman that he'd keep to show others his very prize. It was no wonder Elsa grew skeptical and rather doubtful of their marriage. It was rather appalling to think that Anna had once taken a liking for him.

Her body seemed to grow heavy from the hideous thoughts and leaned against the wall. "So, is this what you see from her?" She raised an eyebrow, but on the inside, she could barely restrain herself from trying to rip him to bloody pieces.

Hans tilted his head, completely baffled. " _Excusez-moi?"_

"' _Beau',"_ Elsa responded. It was quite infuriating to know that Hans had no idea what she was saying. "Do you only see her as such?"

Hans laughed. "Of course not, my deary. Why would you—

"Then tell me, how have you come to realize that you do love her?"

"Are you doubting my love for her?"

"Precisely."

He didn't seem offended.

"You know I was always taken with her beauty," he persisted. "She is… a beautiful treasure. But I feel you are also insinuating that I do not care for what is inside the pretty packaging."

"Not insinuating. Merely wondering." When he didn't answer, merely gazed out across the neighbourhood, she finally cleared her throat. "If… that will be all, I'll return to the festivities before I'm missed. Not that I would be."

Still no answer. However, when she was near the doors, he said in a whisper that just barely reached her ears, "You do not understand me. But… as long as I have your promise, that is of no import."

Now was Elsa's turn not to answer. Merely to take her leave.

* * *

While Anna would have preferred a more romantic location to claim her gift, the linen closet served just fine in hiding them from any prying eyes.

She had spotted Elsa returning from her meeting with Hans—for _of course_ Anna would notice such a thing—and had excused herself to the bathroom. Taking excruciatingly great care not to attract any attention from the guests on her way, Anna had then tailed her lover, whose slow, meandering steps made it clear that something was on her mind. Regardless of the thoughts swirling in the blonde's head, Anna had managed to tug Elsa into the nearest isolated area—the linen closet—and had promptly shut the door behind them before anyone could see.

"Oh...Hi," Elsa breathed, and Anna could see the surprise in her eyes, courtesy of the dim light filtering in through the cracks in the door.

"Hi me?" Anna teased, looping her arms around the blonde's neck and drawing her in for a kiss.

"No, 'hi' to the linens," Elsa scoffed, returning the contact. "Just thought you would find yourself a little extra holiday cheer, did you? Is that what we're up to in here?"

"We're up to whatever you want to be up to. But I had thought…"

When Anna's hand found its way to Elsa's hind end, the latter gasped and swatted at her. "Anna! You know we haven't even… I mean, a lot of touching, but not touching each other… _there._ So why here and now?!"

"Still doesn't have to be that; and as I told you before, when that happens, I wish it to be in your bedroom at the chateau. That is our space, a sacred space." Her nose crinkled as she slowly lowered herself, face pressing into the bosom of the blue dress. "But that doesn't mean we can't… do other things… fun things."

Elsa felt a hand gently crawl up from her side, across her stomach as it moved slowly upwards to cup the swell of her bosom. She let out a short gasp at the friction created by the hand brushing over the fabric as it rubbed against her flesh through her undergarments.

"A-Anna!"

" _Oui, ma chérie?_ " Anna tittered lightly. "Perhaps I should even the score?"

Anna grabbed hold of Elsa's wrist, dragging the attached hand across her own midsection before bringing it up to her own chest.

She groaned lowly at the contact, then cheekily asked Elsa, "Better?"

"Much," the blonde breathed as her hand kneaded at the soft flesh hidden beneath the fabric; more out of instinct than any conscious effort. It wasn't long before she could feel a hardened nipple poking at her palm, accompanied by another groan from Anna. The girl pulled her close into another kiss, tongue probing at her lips for entrance, which Elsa readily obliged.

It seemed Anna would be the more aggressive one in this forbidden dance of theirs, as Elsa soon found herself pushed against the nearest wall, with a thigh pressing between her legs. They separated for air, gasping hotly in the dimness of the closet.

"We can't be long," Anna whispered, brushing her nose against Elsa's, "It will have to be quick, my sweet."

"I… I know," she groaned as the friction slowly began to increase. This was the height of folly, yet it seemed to be their lot. Either they spent this feverish moment in a cupboard, engaged in sweating and frustrating each other as completely as they could, or Christmas would come and go without enjoying each other's bodies. That did not seem like an acceptable alternative.

"The way you looked at me in there," Anna continued as she shifted harder and harder against her. "The night before… possessive, hungry."

Protesting as quietly as she could with that thigh driving her up the wall, she responded, "I… did not mean to make you feel badly, I p-promise!"

"You did. And now it is my turn to be hungry for you."

And that was all the forewarning Elsa got before teeth sank down into her neck-flesh, kneading back and forth with moderate pressure.

Elsa gasped in pleasure until recognition sunk in. She exclaimed sharply in hushed tones, "Anna! Stop that! You… you'll leave a mark!"

Anna reluctantly released Elsa's neck. "Fine…" she pouted.

Elsa gently pulled Anna back in by the nape of her neck, tilting the head of her beloved back slightly to accommodate their height in order to press her lips against the velvety softness of Anna's firm, pink lips once more.

A low moan was heard, but neither of the women could determine from whom it came, if not from the both of them simultaneously—but neither cared at that moment.

The heated session persisted for another minute of furious thighs grinding, hands squeezing and kneading, and locked lips until they again had to draw back for air with foreheads meeting betwixt.

Anna panted as she uttered, "Elsa, we… we should—"

Elsa could only stammer out affirmatively, "Y-Yes."

"Okay," Anna began as she struggled to catch her breath. "I'll head out first, and … after a minute you follow."

"Yes, I… that's reasonable." Clearing her throat, she grasped the back of Anna's neck hard enough to gouge her nails into it, prompting a hiss of air in through her teeth. "Go on."

Pursing her lips, she shook her head slowly from side to side. "You make it so hard for me to escape your clutches…" Stretching upward, she left another light kiss against the corner of her love's mouth. "But I expect you to catch me again. Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night, then."

Once alone in the closet, Elsa slid down to the floor, unable to care about her dress as she sucked at the air to reinflate her winded lungs. Oh, the things that little strumpet could do to her…

* * *

Hans' departure the following morning was a simple, if solemn affair. Anna saw him off tearfully, for even though she did not love him in that way she still cared for his wellbeing.

Elsa stood resolutely to the side, there for moral support.

Hans and Anna embraced briefly as he pecked Anna's lips once. He then looked over at Elsa, giving her a sober look before he asked, "You remember, yes? Should—"

Elsa nodded as she interjected, " _Ja_ , Hans. _Ärgere dich nicht. Mein Versprechen wurde untätig nicht gemacht._ "

" _Gut. Dankeschön._ "

"Stop that, you two," Anna sighed, feigning irritation. "You know I hate being talked over."

" _Hören Sie das,_ Hans? _Unsere_ Anna _ist verärgert."_ When Anna let out an exasperated noise and stamped her foot, Elsa chuckled and followed up with, "Alright, alright! _Pardon,_ _mademoiselle._ Didn't mean to frustrate you that much, just having a bit of fun."

"Well, have it at someone else's expense!" This only made the other two chuckle, so she rolled her eyes and let her ire pass. "Take care of yourself, husband."

Nodding, he cupped her face with his hand. "And you." His eyes raised as he added, "The both of you." Then he got into the waiting carriage that would take him off to join his unit before they were sent to parts abroad.

Elsa turned to Anna once the carriage had pulled away. "It's nearing time for lunch, would you care to join me? There's this _merveilleux petit café_ nearby."

"Yes, I do think I'd like that." To her dismay, her stomach grumbled slightly in agreement as well. Elsa chortled softly, at which Anna threw her a disapproving frown—though the glimmer in her eyes did not match it.

As they made their way to the cafe, Elsa looked over at Anna with a sidelong glance. "Anna, I am sorry about earlier. Hans asked me in confidence to ensure you are taken care of while he's away—for however long that may be—and I was just endeavouring to keep our relationship hidden, thus keeping that conversation between him and I at that time." She stopped briefly, and smirked saucily at her companion. "Besides, I thought you enjoyed it _wenn sprach ich in meiner Muttersprache?_ "

Anna playfully slapped her arm. "You… _Vous allumeuse incorrigibles._ "

"I am, I am," Elsa laughed aloud. Oh, how her hand itched to raise Anna's and place it on her arm… it wouldn't be entirely inappropriate, women walked with linked arms all the time. However, in their case, it would draw unwarranted attention.

But it seemed Anna's thoughts were in a similar vein, for she did take Elsa's arm of her own accord. The blonde did her best not to miss a step on the lane down which they walked, but she still faltered very slightly, causing her companion to titter.

"My, my… have you already started in on our private stock this morning?"

"Shush," Elsa grumbled, and she laughed all the louder. "I wasn't expecting you to take my arm in public."

"Why shouldn't I? We are simply two good friends, bosom companions…" After making sure they were out of earshot of anyone else on the street, she added in a whisper, "Who enjoy each other's bosoms."

Elsa flushed brightly as she slapped Anna's arm. "A-Anna!" she exclaimed loudly. "And _you_ say that I'm _incorrigibles?_ "

Anna cackled mirthfully, no regard for the manner in which her own cheeks had lit up at her jest. After a few moments spent catching her breath while Elsa glared at her, she wiggled her brows and very quietly stated, "With utmost severity, though, I truly am dying to do just that."

"Anna!" Another slap met a freckled arm. " _Dieu au-dessus._ Anna, _s'il vous plaît ne parle pas de cela en public._ "

Anna hung her head slightly, though the smile never left her face as she replied, " _Pardon!_ "

 _God, what this woman does to me… and I swear, she knows it too! La petite mijaurée._

The café was as accommodating as ever, and they both enjoyed simmering cups as they discussed all manner of topics, from the growing, ominous war to the weather. Now and then, Anna would tease Elsa's calf with the tip of her boot, but the elder woman was doing quite a good job of ignoring said teasings. Her only reaction was to glance to the side and make sure no one had caught sight of the indiscretion.

Not that she needed to; Anna herself might have been mischievous, but she was no fool. She also kept watch to make sure she had a clear window with which to taunt her love. It continued in this way until they had finished their tea and pastry, and their conversation winded up to a point where they felt ready to move along.

Elsa laid a hand on Anna's forearm, to stop her briefly before they got up from the table. "Before we go, I have something for you." She pulled a small blue box from inside her jacket, and pressed it into Anna's hand. "Merry Christmas."

Anna gaped a moment upon opening the box in her hand. The fine silver chain sparkled under the candlelight on the table.

"E-Elsa… this is… _c'est très beau._ "

Elsa leaned in to whisper, " _Pas aussi beau que toi, ma chérie._ " She leaned back again, then said, "Would you care for some help putting it on?"

"Please."

Elsa gently lifted the bracelet from the box, undid the clasp, wrapped it around Anna's wrist, and did up the clasp once more.

"Perfection. I shall never take it off."

Elsa laughed as they finally got up to leave, a few _livre_ left on their table. "I won't hold you to that promise."

"You won't need to," Anna whispered, coyly sliding her hand into the crook of Elsa's elbow yet again. "I intend to keep it all on my own."

"Where shall we go next?" Elsa asked as they walked outside, arm in arm. She could not bring herself to ask Anna to release her anymore.

"Oh… that way." Her hand limply gestured toward a side street.

"That way? But I don't know what lies that way."

A twinkle sparked in Anna's teal orbs as she glanced up at her fellow artist. "Nor do I. Isn't that the fun of it?"

Indeed, the woman seemed to have a point. Smiling warmly down at her freckled smile, they took off for parts unknown.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** forkanna/Jessica-X, The Wandering Quill, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, Brown Turtle, nopantsparade/Issandri, Cyrianu


	8. The Art of Restraint

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 8**

 _The Art of Restraint_

* * *

About a month had passed since Hans' departure for Civitella. During that time, Elsa and Anna spent each day together, with Anna making use of _her room_ in the Maurer estate at night a few times each week.

Many an afternoon was spent drinking tea or wine while one of them would paint. Early in the third week, Elsa purchased a second easel, along with more supplies, so they could both paint together once more.

Late January brought colder than normal weather, so the women stayed indoors with a fire burning in the hearth to keep the room warm. On this day, Elsa was content to watch Anna work as the redhead had asked her to pose today. Dressed in the blue gown she'd worn on Christmas Day, Elsa rested upon the chaise—left arm draped across the backrest, right upon the arm of the chaise, head cocked slightly to her right, and legs up with them crossed at the ankle.

The chaise itself was covered in a dark admiral grey fabric, with small floral designs consisting of sky blue centers and light admiral grey petals.

"Stop that," Anna finally commented.

"Stop what?"

"You know very well." When Elsa did not inquire again, nor acknowledge Anna's comment, she rolled her eyes. "You know… licking your lips that way. It's very distracting."

A light chuckle came from the other side of the parlour as Elsa tried not to shift her position otherwise. "Why, Anna… normally it is you who teases me, and yet you cannot take your own punishment? How… interesting." The redhead couldn't help but laugh at that, despite herself. "But I will stop until you have finished, at least."

"Thank you. And… done." Contrary to her words, she did dab at the canvas twice more after that, but they were superficial strokes. Then she stood back and admired her work. "Well… it's not quite as vibrant as the painting you did of me last week, but you know… it isn't half bad."

Elsa stood and stretched her limbs before walking over to look at the painting for herself.

"Oh, Anna…" she chuckled lightly. "Perhaps the colours do not have the same intrinsic flair as those in my painting—but that is only due to the clothing and surrounding environs. However, that does not mean your painting is of any less value, or done with any less skill. This is…"

For the piece in front of her was _absolument magnifique_. The way Anna had blended the shades to capture the dress against the backdrop of the chaise, with only the fire's light to illuminate the scene given the dreary conditions outside.

"This is…"

Elsa was lost for words.

So she did the only thing she could think of to convey her emotions, pulling Anna firmly against herself and crashing their lips together with abandon. The flurry of emotion inside provided a heady rush when paired with the feel of those delicate lips dancing against her own. And this time, Elsa was first to part her lips, stroking her tongue against Anna's lower lip to beg for entrance. Entrance which was granted most willingly, as their tongues gently caressed each other—not fighting for dominance, merely seeking to revel in the stimulating touch of the other's warmth.

When at last their contact parted, some minutes later, Anna swayed on her feet and whispered, "That… must be quite a painting."

"It is. You are—quite a painter, I mean. Not a painting… though you could be, the way you draw the attention of every eye in the room."

"There are no other eyes here but ours, you... _homme de lubrique!"_ Elsa only laughed at her accusation, which got Anna laughing as well. "You're ridiculous, my love."

"And you are delectable. I could eat every bit of you."

The smile slowly dwindled down until it was a purely lustful gaze. "Then what's stopping you? Certainly not your _panache_ … that seems to be at full strength."

"Mm… well, it's most certainly not you who's trying to stop me."

Elsa's gaze turned soft, running fingers through auburn hair brighter than the sun that day. The girl's lips perked up warmly, purring and suddenly very much in love with the feeling of her delicate fingers. It made Anna wonder what else she could do—what else that could make her feel as if she was a God and she was finally in heaven. And she was beginning to sink deep into pleasure with a relishing kiss and a fine massage from Elsa.

The blonde tilted her head. "You know we can't…" she whispered. Their forehead pressed together, and the warmth of them together made their hearts beat fast.

"He's not here, my sweet…" Her hands ran to the top of her chest, bringing her fingers up to her collar and they finally met with a little button. Though, she couldn't even begin to undress her before Elsa's hand enclosed around hers tightly.

"While I do… desire to undress you… and I do wish to make you mine, we have to draw the line somewhere, _ma chérie."_

" _Ma bien-aimée_ , Elsa… why must we limit ourselves in such a fashion? We both pledged ourselves to each other that day—even if the gathered masses believed it to be otherwise. Have we not struggled through this long enough?" Anna's eyes grew moist, tears threatening to eagerly rain down freckle-laden cheeks. "Why must we torture ourselves so? He is gone, perhaps never to return… and regardless of that, I've already sworn to you that I shall not lay with him…" The waiting tears began to stream down her face, raging like a waterfall, as she desperately pleaded, "so _please_ allow me to _lay with you!_ "

Elsa wrapped pale arms around the sobbing, shuddering form of her beloved as she pressed feather-light kisses across her brow.

She pondered deeply on the subject at hand. _What shall I do? She is not wrong—this is tortuous, and not solely for her. Nor was her assessment of the wedding incorrect either; my vows were to her and hers to me—even if offered under pretense of being to him. So why do I force us both to endure this pain? My honour?_ She scoffed at herself mentally. _My honour was already forgotten in this manner the moment our relationship passed that of mere friendship. Her honour?_

It seemed her reasons to withhold her physical affections were becoming moot, obsolete in the face of how close they had grown… how enraptured with each other. That wasn't to say she was exactly comfortable with what they were about to try… but the time had come.

"Are you alright with… an initial step?" When Anna's head only tilted, Elsa raised a thumb to dry her eyes and continued, "We retire to my chambers. Slip beneath the covers, so that… sight unseen…"

" _Oui?!"_ Anna goaded her, impatient to at least hear the rest of this proposition.

"My hands will pleasure myself, and… and my hands will pleasure you, as well."

That took the younger woman unawares. Despite her insistences, her urging for there to be more to their relationship, she had not been quite expecting for this one time to make any significant difference. Yet there they were, actually discussing moving past heated glances, past grinding on each other in linen closets. This was as if her true Christmas present had come a month later than anticipated.

Now, Anna was beginning to think it was too good to be true. Her voice was caught in her throat, and she was unable to think about anything else other than that Elsa was beginning to be more open. Well, more willing, Anna should say. Of course, Elsa had always been the one to stop them from going too far, and Anna was quite surprised that she would suggest something like this.

Elsa stared at her warily. "Anna?"

She blinked, feeling a cold hand cradling her cheek and it kept her away from these troubling thoughts. "Y-Yes?"

"I've… gone too far, I'm afraid?"

Her eyes widened. _"Mon Dieu, non!"_ She chuckled and put her hand over Elsa's in comfort. And soon, the blonde relaxed from her tensed muscles and blue eyes that looked quite heavy out of fear.

"Good," she sighed, accepting Anna's assistance in petting her own cheek. "Well, if you think I'll be more rough on you than you are on yourself, you're mistaken; I intend to take the utmost of care with your body, my dearest, darling little rose."

"And I would expect nothing less, my sweet." Then her hand turned Elsa's palm outward so that she could press her lips against it, graze them up toward the soft expanse just below where fingers met hand. "Though I must wonder… why now, after so many times we could have?"

"Because we discussed it. Because things change, because…" A low growl sounded in her throat. "Because I am tired of waiting to ravage you."

Anna visibly shivered at the words, uttered in that husky tone. Heat flared down her spine to pool in her loins, and she leaned forward until her lips brushed the shell of Elsa's ear, the blonde's hand still cupping her cheek.

"Then _ravage_ me."

Her words sent a chill crawling down her back and a burning ache down to her loins. It set fire through her body, rapidly and pleasantly. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out other than a shuddering sigh. Her eyes were filled with darkness, overtaking the icy blue from her eyes and her face flushed red with desire. Teal eyes stared back at her, lusting for her… craving for her lover's touch.

A couple of minutes later, they found themselves on the bed and Elsa was seated on her lap, Anna laid down upon dozens of pillows beneath her. She had no idea how they'd gotten there so quickly, with Anna's arms around her neck and her own around her thin waist. It was hot, and the two staring not so meekly at each other was making each of them feel as if a ball of fire had coiled up inside the bottom pit of their stomach.

"Well?" Anna whispered, and prompted Elsa to blink from her fantasies.

"Well, what…?"

Finding this quite adorable, she laughed. "Well, kiss me…"

And suddenly, ravishing, she did. Her lips quickly crashed into hers with such heated passion. Her hands held tightly to her waist, searching for a tight embrace. Her heart thumped rapidly, calling for an escape from her confining chest. Anna's moans filled the room, and it was delicious to Elsa's ears.

But as much as Elsa wanted to rip her clothes to pieces, press her up against the wall, claiming her to be her own… she wanted this to be a gentle, welcoming night. Slowly, her impatient hands stopped grabbing her and cradled her cheeks with care.

Elsa was the first to pull away, hooded eyes staring down at the woman. Her fingers tucked back her hair behind her ear.

Anna opened her eyes, and she looked almost hypnotized into her stares. "Elsa…"

The blonde grinned with ease, her thumb touching the corner of her plump, wet, beautiful lips. "I want you…"

The younger woman sighed, grabbing her wrist and she was tempted to lick her finger. But this wasn't just about her anymore—not her own unfulfilled lust for Elsa, and her own selfishness. This was now about Elsa. Whatever she wanted, she'd give, gladly and obediently.

And Elsa wanted _her._

 _Oh_ , how Elsa _wanted_ her. But she'd savor this moment, every second of it—like sketches upon a canvas later filled with vibrant paints, she would slowly build Anna up to a masterpiece worthy of this next step in their love. The girl had waited long enough. _Elsa_ had waited long enough.

And as the safekeeper of Anna's heart, of holding the honor of being her other half...Elsa would accept nothing less than perfection.

Their lips met once more in a slow, sensual dance. Giving and taking, as their relationship had been for nearly every step of the way. Freckled hands came up to tangle themselves in Elsa's hair when she nipped at Anna's bottom lip, soothing it over with her tongue afterwards and probing, asking, for entrance. Her lover readily granted this request, mouth parting to receive an eager tongue, and Elsa could taste the _chocolatl_ they had earlier that day. They had both grown fond of the foreign treat—almost as fond as they had grown of each other.

Anna moaned as their bodies began to undulate against the other, and Elsa's hands wandered down the girl's sides, tracing over her curves, her valleys, reaching up to those peaks to palm her left breast. They parted for air, gasping in the small space between them, and Elsa gently kneaded at the softness beneath her hand. Anna's gasps grew breathier as she arched her back, offering more of her chest.

The blonde grinned, feeling fingers running back golden fringes that covered her eyes. And against her palm, she could feel Anna's heart bursting and her skin set ablaze with want. Anna's palm trailed down to hers, prompting her to squeeze her beautifully rounded mound. _Dieu_ , it was soft and it ignited an enchanting moan slipping out of Anna's lips, her back arched and her eyes shut with pleasure.

She wanted more of that look of ecstasy. Immediately, she pecked her lips once more and pursued her way down to her neck, nose brushing fiery red hair and her lips brushing against heated skin, covering every little speck of freckles exposed.

"Oh Elsa," she sighed, letting her fingers fist into her hair. Elsa looked up, blue eyes watching the woman's mouth opening and closing, and a trickle of drool peeking from its corner.

 _Encore…_ she thought, and pressed her tongue onto her neck.

Anna gasped, feeling teeth grinding into her neck. "E-Elsa… Ahh…" The aching burn between Anna's thighs was quite ironic when she was feeling so very soaked.

"Now," Elsa breathed in a ragged whisper, "I… want to take you, but don't want to ruin your clothing in the process. Should—

The air filled with the sound of rending fabric. It was wasteful, wanton… and set Elsa ablaze to watch the halves of the dress falling away, to see only the chemise beneath because Anna had not been the one posing, and had opted to be more comfortable rather than formal.

Combined, the efforts of four hands removed the remnants of dress and tugged the chemise up and over Anna's head, laying her bare again. Elsa drank in the sight for only a moment before she whirled, presenting her back to Anna to undo her own dress.

"This is far too beautiful to give the same treatment," Anna told her, loving hands plying at the bonds that prevented them from being together. Soon but not soon enough, they had it off, and the corset underneath was being undone. "Oh, Elsa… you can't know how much I want this. How often I've—

"Oh, I think I can."

"Well… perhaps," she admitted with a giggle, finally peeling it off. Elsa took care of her own chemise, and then turned back to stalk toward her lover, hips swaying from side to side as her feet stepped free of the pool of fabric, of her fine shoes that had completed the ensemble. A hungry expression filled Anna's face as she crawled backward along the bed, not taking her eyes from the other one set so intent upon her.

Upon reaching the bed, Elsa climbed up and made her way towards her beloved, until she was straddling her hips. For several moments, the two women simply stared in awe, taking in the wondrous beauty of the woman they were with. Then, Elsa started to rub her hands up and down Anna's bare sides, and leaned in for a slow, tender kiss.

Anna responded in kind, keeping the kiss warm and loving, as she too ran her hands up and down Elsa's bare sides. Both revelled in the ability to touch the other directly, skin to skin without a barrier for the first time, without worries of crossing a line or causing the other distress.

As they kissed, Elsa's hand drifted out to one side, clawing at the bed until she finally made purchase upon the fine silk sheet and dragged it over the top of them.

"Elsa," Anna sighed into her neck as they embraced, Elsa's lips working their way along the shell of her ear. "Ah! Y-you meant what you said, about… about keeping ourselves hidden…"

" _Oui,_ my morsel. Secrecy is everything with our relationship, it is… the butter on our _baguette_. And I want to preserve it, cherish the sensuous quality it holds." Then she drew back and stared down into Anna's eyes. "For only under the cover of darkness can I feel free to unmake you."

"But we have done more, and out in the open," Anna reminded her, the smile not cruel, not taunting. "And… I know that upset you, but it seems funny now to take this step backward."

That made the blonde cant her head to one side, reaching up to unpin her hair and allow it to fall loosely around her shoulders—which made Anna's breath catch again. She always adored seeing Elsa in this fashion, so rare a sight it was.

"One step backward… to take another step forward. This is the dance, _chérie_."

"And who of us shall take the lead?" Despite her question, Anna threaded her hands through the loosened strands of Elsa's hair, combing through the silken curls and gripping them at the nape of Elsa's neck. A gentle tug had Elsa baring her neck to her lover as though presenting herself for sacrifice upon an altar, and perhaps the bed they shared was as such.

For it was with worshipful fervor that Anna took to Elsa's flesh, exploring the tilt of Elsa's chin and the tense line of her jaw with an eager mouth. Elsa might have responded to her query if she could do anything but whimper desperately and claw at Anna's hips with trembling hands. " _Anna_." The name was as much a plea as the words that followed, " _Dieu_ , your lips…"

"What about them?" Anna purred, the vibrations of her speech thrumming against Elsa's throat with a teasing cant. Both women were distracted by Anna's sudden urge to latch onto a sensitive patch of Elsa's skin and _suckle_ , tongue and teeth working in tandem to work at her flesh until it grew dark and throbbed with the fluttering beat of Elsa's heart.

Nothing other than gasps and soft moans like music that her lips were drawing out echoed into Anna's ears. Nails drew down her skin, leaving long red marks that left both of them reaching for pleasure.

The redhead continued her ministration, and her tongue slowly caressed the dark mark—though Anna was quite proud of the mark… it was a sign of claiming. A sign to show others that Elsa was hers… Quite funny how she wouldn't be able to show the love bites to others.

Tender fingers slid down Elsa's slender and trembling back, feeling golden strands of hair, brushing against her very fingertips. She continued to kiss her jaw, earning strings of groans and moans back. She repeated, "What _about_ them…?"

Elsa quivered and her eyes watered, feeling her warm, sweet breath brushing against that very spot. She bit her lip and felt completely restless. And the fingers that roved down her back were not helping.

"I… I want…"

"Certainly, you don't _just_ mean my lips, right?" She wiggled her fingers on her back to emphasize.

The blush on her cheeks grew darker but it wasn't long until a smile quirked up and left Anna in a confused state of mind. "I… Most certainly do, but… shouldn't it be you who is answering that question?"

The redhead blinked. "W-what?"

Chuckling, she leaned into her ear, loving how Anna shuddered and tightened her grip. "Let me remind you… I'll be the one… _taking care_ of us tonight. So you," Elsa dabbed a finger to her chest, "should just sit back… relax… and enjoy the show."

That made Anna smile coyly, though she did lay back as she was bade. "Well… I thought we might play with those rules you stated a bit, but I forget what a… taskmaster you are, _commandant."_

"Oh, shush," Elsa laughed in a subdued voice. Her desire was already raging, and she could scarcely keep herself from taking everything she wanted all at once. However… the time had passed to keep being coy.

A little "Oh!" issued from Anna when she felt the hand on her inner thigh. Stretching her arms up above her head, one flush with the headboard, she spread invitingly, welcomed the newcomer into her chambers. Elsa could feel wetness before she even came into contact with its source; yes, Anna was more than prepared to experience her method. As prepared as Elsa was to practice it on her.

"You're sure?" Elsa asked, keeping the question brief. It was a mere formality by this point. When Anna nodded, she pressed her fingers home.

"AHHNH!" The redhead's voice was overjoyed to finally feel the artistic instruments of the great Elsa Maurer dipping into her palette, creating a landscape of ecstasy. "Ohhhh, _m'amant, nous sommes vraiment ensemble, enfin!"_

"We are. You are mine." Her voice was deep, as consoling as it was provocative, resonant and rich and full of her own needs. The fingertips began to slide up and down faster, still only filling in the backdrop before they moved along to the central subject. "And you are exquisite."

Elsa's fingers dipped slightly between those waiting folds—merely a hint of what was to come, and Anna's hips jerked readily. _Dieu_ , were they both ready…

Elsa pressed a kiss to the girl's bare shoulder...and her fingers slid further inside until they hilted.

"Nnnaah!" A cry escaped from Anna's lips at finally, _finally_ feeling Elsa inside of her, painting masterful strokes within the canvas of her body. Legs wrapped around the blonde's waist as she bucked in time to the fingers steadily thrusting in and out of her, drawing her to greater heights. It was one thing to bring pleasure from her own touch...it was another thing entirely to feel someone else's fingers curling against her walls, flitting over that one patch that turned her moans into needy keens.

"Th-There!" Anna gasped, and ever the dutiful lover, Elsa obliged.

This had been what Elsa was waiting for, hoping to hear; Anna's encouragement. The tacit agreement that what they were doing did not disgust her, was in fact something she yearned for just as much in the moment as she did before it came. And so she spurred ever onward, not at the furious pace she would put her own form through but neither did she treat Anna as if she would break. That would be equally unkind.

No… Anna needed a firm but gentle approach. One she had been rehearsing on herself in preparation for this day, if she were to be honest—but there was no need to reveal quite so much.

"Elsa!" Anna cried out as she climbed toward the heights, already within their reach, so eagerly had she been aching for this day to arrive. "Oh _mon DIEU,_ you're so good! How do you… how can you know me so well without ever having touched me before?!"

The little dark laugh came unbidden as her speed increased, her fingers curling in over and over. "Because, as you said… I am your God."

And Anna was her most devout follower, crying her name in rapture.

"I-I'm so...so close nnAAH!"

Elsa's thumb brushed against the hardened pearl above, and she felt Anna's legs tighten around her, heels digging into her back as her toes curled. She wouldn't be long now, especially with how Elsa's thumb began swirling that rosy bud in time to her fingers still working furiously.

"Look at me, _meine schöne_ ," she whispered into Anna's ear. _"Schau mich an."_

Her body jerked and she could already feel her high coming her way, nails grazing down Elsa's back as she tried her very best to stay down in bed, holding onto Elsa for dear life. "Oh Elsaaaa!" she whined, head tilted back, and she felt as if she was brought up to the sky, pleasure raining down her fevered frame.

" _Ma belle…"_ Elsa breathed and just two words had almost done it for her, for she was gasping for air, fingers grasping for anything.

"Hgn… E-Elsa… _Je vais venir…"_ Her eyes opened, and Elsa was almost surprised to see the lust coating her teal eyes and the darkness had invaded the gleam. A single tear fell freely down her cheek, and her breathing hurried. "P-Please… ahh… I-I—"

Smiling and making sure Anna knew she being well cared for, she kissed her neck, worshiping every freckle on her sunkissed skin. "It's okay, I'm here… you're safe… _viens pour moi."_

Elsa continued thrusting her fingers with gentle care, her thumb making slow motions of circles on her sensitive jewel. Fingers found themselves in her hair, tugging and possibly ripping a few strands from the intensity, but Elsa didn't mind at all. She was quite proud of what she could do… her woman panting… moaning… and her body flailing in her hand.

She made sure her blue eyes met Anna's. The moans grew louder and Elsa wasn't even surprised that she was making the same atrocious… no, blissful sound. They were both on cloud nine.

With a few more lasting thrusts of her fingers, the redhead threw her head back and her screams became silent as her high peaked.

Elsa's fingers continued their strokes, prolonging Anna's long-awaited bliss at her hand—a hand that was quickly coated in her lover's essence. Anna continued to writhe and twitch beneath her, hips jerking with every spurt of the fluid. Soon, her body ceased in its shudders, though that freckled chest continued to heave with her breathless gasps. With that, Elsa withdrew her hand from the girl's drenched core—her essence covering her fingers like fresh paint on a brush.

And through it all, Elsa never once broke her gaze.

With their eyes still locked, the blonde lifted her coated fingers to her lips.

Regardless of how hard Anna's heart was pounding, and hot rushes of blood coursing through her body, everything seemed to have stopped the moment Elsa slipped her own essence into her mouth. The redhead stared, wide-eyed, and her fingers twitched.

Oh, how she very badly wanted to pin her down in bed and ravish the blonde just like how she did to her.

"D-Don't, it's dir- ooh..."

She couldn't finish her sentence and a sated groan interrupted her, and she was captured in the dark, hazy gaze of Elsa's blue eyes. And they glowed… Gods, they glowed so beautifully… so hungrily. Elsa's tongue rolled around her two fingers, eyes watching the vulnerable woman below her. Anna's lips had gone dry and all she could do as she was chained to her charm was to stare.

"You…" Elsa started, pulling out her now saliva coated fingers and laid her very fingertips on her bare stomach. She arched, breathing hitched, but still no words could even describe how she was feeling now. "You taste so very...sweet, _amoureuse_."

"Then… h-have as much as you want," she bade her love, still slack-jawed and disbelieving. "If it's sweet enough for my sweet."

So Elsa helped herself to another light caress, eliciting a more muted gasp from Anna now that her urges had been spent. This time, however, she paused to contemplate her hand, turning it this way and that. Catching the gleaming substance in the light from the window.

"You know… something has bothered me." When Anna did not respond, she glanced back to her curious. "Something that you have enjoyed once before, but I have not. Hardly seems fair."

"Ç'est quoi?" However, she didn't have to wait long to find out, watching as Elsa's hand disappeared beneath the silk… but did not find its way to Anna again. "Oh, y-you… _oh."_

The blonde's eyes closed in sheer bliss as she felt the slickness she had thieved from her lover's loins coming into contact with her own inflamed petals. Within seconds, her breath was already hitching, back undulating as she saw to her own raw hunger. Anna's surprised expression slowly melted to one of serene adoration, and she wrapped both arms around her mentor's back, holding their bodies close as she began to push inside, burying Anna's essence deep within herself.

It was not unlike claiming her, to a degree, as their essences mixed with every thrust of Elsa's fingers through her weeping folds. The thought of Anna inside of her stoked the fire burning in her loins, and she threw her head back, moans falling wantonly from her lips. She felt kisses along her neck as she pleasured herself, and a tongue trailed down to lave at her pulse point.

"Elsa, I… wondered if taking yourself would be enough, if I shouldn't be the one to— A deafening shriek of pleasure filled the bedchamber, and her head ducked slightly. " _Non_ , I was mistaken! You can handle yourself!"

"Anna! Ohhhh, I can't- I can't- ANNA _Mein GOTT, füllen mich!_ AAAHHHH!"

The teal eyes shot wide, never having heard Elsa be quite this free with herself before, even on the other occasions in which she partook. What had gotten into her?

Of course, the answer to that was simple: Anna.

"Yes," Anna breathed against her skin, letting her hands trail up and down the back, raking downward with her nails to add fuel to the fires that burned so brightly. "Please, my sweet—do whatever you will, no holding back! Just let yourself feel! _Feel_ me!"

Not long afterward, perhaps a few more outcries, and Elsa's legs straightened like two arrows, shaking as she became gripped in the most powerful orgasm she'd yet known. The warm, sculpted creature beside her was all to blame and they both knew it, even if she had done so little. Then, panting and robbed of her ability to move, she flopped down against the mattress.

" _Mon dieu…"_ was all she could say after regaining her breath, too exhausted to even extricate her hand from between her legs.

"Yes? What is it?" Anna couldn't help but tease, smiling at the tired blonde beside her. She giggled at the half-hearted frown thrown her way, and smoothed the crumple of Elsa's brow with a gentle hand, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Welcome back, my sweet."

"Mm," Elsa hummed lazily in response, allowing her eyes to close for a moment, reveling in the warm, familiar touch of Anna's lips on her skin. With a content sigh she peeked out one eye and said, "You… are truly amazing, my love. The greatest treasure in the entire world."

Anna chuckled, planting another kiss on the very tip of Elsa's nose before burrowing her face in the crook of Elsa's neck. "How can that be so when _I'm_ admiring the greatest treasure in existence?" She snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around the blonde and entwining their legs, fitting their bodies together perfectly. "Elsa, you've given me… so much. Possibly more than I could ever ask for." Caressing her lover's sweaty back with tender strokes of her fingers, she kissed Elsa's neck and murmured, "Thank you for everything."

" _Bitte,"_ she yawned, then caught herself and giggled self-consciously. "Oh… sorry, I… forgot myself."

"Don't think I mind," Anna breathed with a glowing smile. "You can _'sprechen die Deutsch'_ anytime."

Inexplicably, something about hearing German from Anna's inexperienced tongue was almost enough to give Elsa a second wind. Any other day, it probably would have. However, she contented herself with peppering the freckled cheeks of her lover with kisses for the time being.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** Cyrianu, forkanna/Jessica-X, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill, nopantsparade/Issandri, CanITellUSmthin


	9. The Art of Exasperation

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 9**

 _The Art of Exasperation_

* * *

Three months had gone by in a flash, with the two still very much in love… perhaps, also still very much in _lust_. Not a day had passed without them having hands reaching for the other lover's body, groping on places where it was deemed inappropriate. Well, while many of the days and nights were just them together, it seemed quite appropriate.

And perhaps, when one of them was found naked by one of the servants, the excuse would always be "for painting"… although, they wouldn't find much evidence of it in Elsa or Anna's room. The servants seemed even more busy these days, having to clean up after their mess—which mostly consisted of clothes on the ground, undergarments that had been ripped… _magically_. Elsa and Anna wouldn't dare to say anything truthful when they questioned why was it that every week, something had to be missing or ripped into pieces.

Of course, time had passed quite fast, and the two had gone from gentle to excitable to… taking every chance they had while together to kiss, touch, sometimes even trying to make one another so overcome with pleasure that they desperately needed the time to relieve themselves.

The promise to not _truly_ make love to one another was miraculously still intact. But they had some close calls, and luckily, Elsa was always there to stop this from happening... as desperately as she wanted to make love to her _amoureuse._

The day was peaceful, and rain was beginning to pour, thunder roaring through the sky. It was tea time for them, and they sat in Elsa's room, admiring the rain outside the window and the paintings that were scattered against the walls and the ground. Anna sat by the couch and Elsa, humming a tune, flicking her paintbrush against the canvas. She was painting her lover, who stared in fascination out the window. It was quite a beautiful sight to see. But today was yet to be one of those days where their urges took over. Today was filled with a more quiet love.

"Don't move."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "I'm drinking tea, I need to move."

"Well, move carefully, then."

"Incorrigible." She took a sip, then straightened. "Ooh, by the way—

"ANNA!"

Ducking her head ashamedly, she tried to rearrange herself back into the pose she'd been holding before. "Sorry. I was just so excited to tell you—I heard from my cousin Rapunzel yesterday. She will be coming to visit from Arras within the week."

"Really?" Elsa said, voice pleasant but also clearly displaying that she was mainly focused on her work. "Perhaps I shall come for a supper with the both of you."

"Perhaps? Of _course_ you will, why should you not? You are my…" They both paused to look at each other, and Anna giggled. "Well, you are my close friend and confidant, as far as the outside world knows. And that's good enough, isn't it?!"

In the face of her adorable indignance, Elsa couldn't help but chuckle warmly. "Very well, I'll make it two dinners. _Est-ce satisfaisant?"_

Anna hummed to herself for a moment, pretending to think over Elsa's response, before she answered. " _Je suppose que ce sera, ma bien-aimée._ "

Elsa smirked at her. " _Effronté petite diable._ "

" _Diable? Moi?_ " Anna gasped, raising her hand to her chest as she feigned indignance.

"Yes, but you are _my_ little devil," Elsa began with a grin. "However, my dearest… you have moved, yet again."

Anna once again attempted to return to her original pose for Elsa's painting. " _Désolé, ma amour._ "

Elsa dabbed her brush once again in the forest green paint upon her palette, returning to her work as she laid quick long strokes of the instrument against canvas. "I'm near done with your dress, then I can do the detail work on your face."

"But… my freckles?"

" _Of course_ , your freckles. It would not be you without them." She smiled warmly, lips tugging tightly against her cheeks as her eyes twinkled.

At length, the painting was completed, and Anna skipped over to view her handiwork. Cooing in delight, she wriggled in next to her love to gaze at it with her.

"Vanity, thou art Roxanna."

" _Arret,_ you boor," she laughed. "You know I'm gazing at your talent, not my face. Which you have made a lot less silly than my actual face." Her head came to rest on Elsa's shoulder. "Ohhh, I am so glad… glad to have you all to myself, to be your muse."

An artful hand raised, this time to brush a hair out of Anna's eyes instead of bristles on canvas. "You are so much more. To me, and to the world."

"Oh, all of the world, eh?"

"All of it. Every…" Her lips touched Anna's forehead. "Last…" Nose. "Corner." The side of her mouth, which elicited a giggle due to the word choice.

* * *

The week passed quite quickly as the women spent most of it painting, talking, and generally enjoying each other's company. Such was how Kai found them mid-afternoon in the parlour of the de Neuvillette château, sitting immediately across from each other drinking wine and chatting idly.

" _Madame_ , a visitor has arrived for you; a young brunette woman. She said her name was—"

As he was introducing her, said woman made her way into the room, revealing herself from behind Kai. She was the same height as Anna, wore a long purple dress with three quarter length sleeves, and had her hair cut short at the back and sides though it was slightly longer on the top.

With a wide grin, Anna jumped up from her chair and exclaimed, "Rapunzel!"

"Anna!" Rapunzel cried out, and rushed over to envelop Anna in a hug.

Elsa stood, coming to stand slightly behind and to the right of Anna.

"Oh, and who's this?"

" _Pardon,_ Cousin—this is my good friend and painting mentor, Elsa Maurer." Elsa bowed, which was a male custom that she had adopted because curtsying simply felt so unnatural to her. In a lower tone, she added, _"Elle est de l'Allemagne."_

Both of Rapunzel's eyebrows shot up, and she curtsied to Elsa and said in a strangely forced accent, _"Ich spreche kein Deutsch. Es tut uns leid."_

The blonde only cackled and clapped, throwing back her head slightly in her mirth. " _Keine Sorge, es ist in Ordnung!_ You're fine."

"Okay," Rapunzel giggled, cheeks pinkening from being laughed at, even if it was not cruelly done. "Your French is _much_ better than my German, by the way; if you didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes, I'd have thought you were native!"

"Thank you. I've had a few years to learn the eccentricities of the language—the master of this house was my patron for several years prior to having gained my independence of him." Elsa furtively glanced at Anna, ever cautious in both words and actions. "Though I am deeply grateful for my time here, else I would not have _rencontré votre chère cousine._ I value her friendship greatly."

Anna's cheeks had alit with a soft blush, and she stammered out, "A-And I yours."

Rapunzel interjected, "So, Elsa… you are your own woman? What is that like?"

" _Oui._ I was fortunate to be granted my own estate nearby a few months ago. As to what it's like… _Je me sens tellement plus ... libre pour être moi-même._ I'm able to find work on my own, or freely choose my own inspiration for my next painting. _Il est très libérateur_ , to no longer be beholden to another." Elsa's smile unwittingly twisted ever so slightly into a near indiscernible frown. _Anna…_

"Not that married life is much different for me," Anna supplied hastily, before the frown took deeper root. "With my husband in Italy now. So, how is life back east?"

At that, Rapunzel sighed and rolled her eyes, pacing further into the room toward the liquor, plucking a very rare bottle of whiskey that Hans had procured at great cost and pouring herself a very small sip. When Elsa raised an eyebrow at Anna, she merely shrugged; her cousin always had a taste for the stronger spirits.

"Terrible. Mother nearly blew her top when she found out I was planning to visit Paris; you know how she gets. Paranoid and jealous and controlling. It's a wonder I ever step foot outside."

"So you compromised and came to Neuvillette?" Elsa inquired, in good humour.

Lowering her glass after having taken a belt, she smirked over at the blonde. "This is a stopover. I'll still be continuing down in a few days, then coming back to visit again in about a month before I return home." Then she looked more hopefully at Anna. "That is… if that's alright, Cousin?"

Anna boisterously responded, "Oh, of course, Rapunzel! It has been so long since the last time, it will be good to see you again that soon."

Rapunzel grinned widely. "Thank you. It feels so good to be out in the world on my own, even if it is only briefly."

Anna, reminded that Rapunzel had just arrived from several days travel, apologetically queried, "Oh, where _are_ my manners? You've been travelling a while, I'm sure you'd like to come sit?"

"That would be nice, yes," she chuckled. They made their way over to the chairs across the room, Elsa and Anna returning to their previous seats as Rapunzel unawarely made to take Elsa's seat from earlier—the other chairs being farther off to the side.

When they nearly bumped into each other, Elsa's cheeks flushed rose as she tittered nervously. "Sorry… I—"

Rapunzel looked down to see the wine glasses resting upon the nearby table. "No, it's alright! I didn't realize this was your seat. Please, I can just bring another chair closer."

Anna giggled at the interaction, happy to see her cousin and Elsa getting along—not that she had _expected_ otherwise, but… she had been afraid of what might transpire if they had not.

"For a moment, I thought you wanted to share a chair," Elsa laughed as Rapunzel fetched her own seat. "Something I'd expect you to do with your cousin, if anything."

"Goodness! We haven't done anything like that since we were children!" And the two cousins did laugh, Elsa joining in as she was already of the mood. While settling in, the visitor persisted, "Would you really have minded so much if I shared your chair?"

Picking up her glass, she swirled it as she responded. _"Jamais._ Unless you stink of heavy travel." After they laughed, she sipped and then added, "But you smell of roses, so not a worry."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, then looked over at Anna as she said, "Ooooh, _elle est du genre coquette!"_ Then she glanced down to Elsa's distinctly unfeminine garb. "Or… _du genre coureur de jupons?"_

" _Excusez-moi!"_ Her affront was feigned, including the hand at her chest. "What I said was entirely fact, not flattery; you smell divine." However, the way the two cousins were giggling over her made it awfully hard to resist, so she added in an exaggeratedly wolfish tone, "Good enough to eat."

While Anna was certain she had nothing to fear from the teasing between the two women, she still felt a pang of jealousy coil within her stomach. She tersely interjected, " _Ça suffit!_ "

Elsa stopped immediately, feeling her heart rise up into her throat. She softly inquired, "Anna, _êtes-vous d'accord?_ "

Anna took a deep breath before she replied. " _Je suis… Je suis d'accord, ma chère_ Elsa."

Elsa's brow furrowed, clearly not believing her dismissal, but Rapunzel cut in before she could say anything further. "So you paint?"

"Yes… I do." She glanced over to Anna one last time, and her eyebrows crossed in concern as she noticed the pout forming from her lips, and the teal eyes that rolled rudely. She didn't know what was making her turn from excited to such a displeased mood. They were only having a conversation, so why…

Then Elsa raised her eyebrows in understanding. _Ah, so that's what's happening here._ Unconsciously, she grinned, and the thought of wanting to tease Anna more seemed quite tempting.

"What do you paint?" Rapunzel asked, with complete interest in Elsa's life. It was quite uncommon to see a woman who paints, in such a rich residence, dressed in beautiful clothes. If anything, she would've thought that it was Anna's kind nature and Hans' willingness to provide her something after she had done a favor for them.

Turning back to Anna's cousin, Elsa replied, "Well, I paint a lot of things… but mostly, people and landscapes that are set as their background."

"Ooh, have you painted Anna? She's a gorgeous girl."

"I have, actually." Anna's petulance melted and softened, and Elsa relaxed from the release of tension. "I've… painted her _au nu,_ a few times."

Rapunzel's face flushed and she gasped. She didn't sound horrified but… to Elsa's surprise, she was quite fascinated, with her hands up against her chest. _"Ooh la la…_ well, I'm sure someone would paint you like that, too, since you are just as gorgeous."

She had to giggle at that. "Oh, there was a special someone who did…" She glanced over at Anna, who did, in fact, blush lightly at the memory.

"Oh, how I wish someone would paint me…" she sighed, dreaming for someone to look at her with adoration, and stroke their brush along the canvas to make her feel beautiful, to worship the body that she had.

Elsa chuckled and she eyed Anna carefully from the corner of her blue orbs. "Well… I can always do that for you."

"Really?" Her eyes widened, shining in hope and eagerness. "But I don't… well, don't want to be such a bother."

"You are quite beautiful, after all; I don't want my empty canvas to be waiting long."

At that, the woman's cheeks flared red, and her hands ended up laid on her thighs. But Anna's red cheeks seemed to have a very different meaning.

"W-Well, I mean…"

"You are Anna's cousin, I don't mind. If you'd like… I'd gladly paint you _nu."_

She gasped once more, eyes shining with excitement. "Really?!"

" _Ç'est assez!_ " The chair scraped against the floor loudly as it slid back and Anna was on her feet. Her cheeks were bright red, and her eyes narrowed. "Elsa, I want to have a talk with you."

"We are talking," Elsa teased. But when Anna merely flared her nostrils dangerously, she nodded and set down her wine glass. "A moment, if you don't mind, _meine Göttin."_ Both girls blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar term, but Elsa didn't bother to elaborate as she rose and stepped out into the nearby hallway.

Not long after, laughing over her shoulder, Anna rounded the corner—and her expression shifted so quickly from bemused to angry that Elsa flinched in shock. "Are you _loufoque?!_ My _cousin?!"_

"I'm teasing, you silly goose. Both of you, by the look of your reaction."

"Then tease me some other way! You can't see my cousin _au nu,_ I forbid it!"

That shifted Elsa's attitude very slightly. Before, she had been entirely casual, ready to apologise for going a bit too far with her needling. But the single word "forbid" had changed everything.

"Oh? You presume to tell not only me, but Rapunzel, what we are allowed to do?" Her hand raised and moved to cup Anna's cheek, but she brushed the gesture aside. Elsa set her jaw and followed up, "I was joking before, but now I think I might truly wish to paint her. After all, she will make a fantastic subject; surely you can see that much, _non?"_

Sighing, Anna forced herself to breathe, letting most of her ire fade. "Oh…. very well, you're right, she would be. Admittedly, I don't see this as you 'pursuing' her, not truly. But that doesn't mean I want your… _vos yeux assoiffés_ pointing at her naked body! Can't you just paint her in a bathing costume or something?!"

Elsa chuckled at that, reaching up in an attempt to cup her cheek once more. This time, Anna allowed it, huffing irritably once a thumb brushed against her skin.

"If you _were_ worried I will stray, I should think you know me better by now," Elsa murmured, lips quirking slightly. "Although, this jealousy of yours is oddly...inflaming. Is that how it was for you?" She could feel the heat rising to her face, and the blonde laughed again, leaning forward to lightly bump their foreheads together. "How about a compromise, _ma chére?_ We can both paint her."

"What makes you think I want to paint my own cousin that way, either?!"

"Darling, it's only art. The greatest and most worthy of pursuits, yes, but I am nothing if not professional—as I expect from you, as well." Anna's pout made her chuckle, so she kissed her lips again. "We'll paint her from the back, perhaps?"

"No, we won't. I know you all too well, Madame Maurer, and you will want to paint every dimple and bump on her breasts, you, you…"

"Consummate professional?" Elsa insisted.

"UGH!" Throwing both hands into the air, she stomped back into the parlour, where Rapunzel had risen to look around at the few paintings of landscapes and flowers, old generals, that dotted the walls. When she heard them coming, she turned and brightened.

"Well, I hope I didn't make trouble for you! I… assume that was why you had to step away, right? My wish to be painted inconvenienced you…"

Anna rolled her eyes towards Elsa's mirthful little grin, her hands balled into fists on her hips. "You know what, Rapunzel—"

"Everything's fine," Elsa cut in as she sat back down. Rapunzel tilted her head, looking back and forth at the two. "We were just discussing… what time we should arrange so that we could paint you. Tea?"

Half-convinced, she nodded. Her eyes still laid on her grumbling cousin as she sat back down next to Elsa. "Yes, please. Oh, talking of painting, I was looking around while you were away… did you paint all of these?" She gestured the whole room as Elsa poured her a cup of tea and provided sugar along with it.

Anna grumbled lowly, "I want a cup, too…"

 _Mignonne,_ Elsa thought privately. The blonde poured all of them a cup, but she couldn't help but blush when Anna whispered a "thank you" and a "je t'aime". She laid a hand on Anna's and squeezed as she answered, "Well… Most of them, yes. A few here are some of the works of a few well known artists."

"Hmm…" Rapunzel rocked herself back and forth with a cup of tea in her hand. Her eyes roamed around the room. She pointed at the painting where there was a woman with quite an enigmatic expression and her hands folded. "This one's familiar. Leo… Leone… what's his name?"

"Leonardo da Vinci, yes. Mona Lisa is quite famous, actually."

"Unfortunately, it is only a copy," Anna filled in for her, warming to the topic that did not involve teasing her or painting family members without clothing. "The original is at Fontainebleau, safe and sound. Though I'm sure my Hans would have tried to buy it if he thought he'd get anywhere..."

"Not to say your paintings aren't breathtaking!" Rapunzel told Elsa in a rush, smiling at her over her teacup. "You're so gifted… oh, I wish I could paint like that. But I can't even paint a fence!"

As she laughed at herself, Anna and Elsa exchanged a pitying glance, abandoning their brief little back-and-forth. They felt she deserved at least the chance to test herself; their feelings were reflected in each other's gazes as being identical.

"Perhaps," Elsa began hesitantly, still watching Anna despite addressing her cousin, "after we're finished painting you, we could give you a lesson?"

"Really?!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she set down her teacup, green eyes bright with excitement. "Oh, how kind of you!"

"Ah, it is nothing for someone with such a clearly gifted eye for art as yourself," Elsa told her. "We start tomorrow, after breakfast, yes?"

As Rapunzel was literally bouncing up and down with joy, Anna shot the blonde a shrewd glance. Even after their discussion about the flirtation, still she persisted. So that was the way it was to be, was it? Well… time would only tell who made a fool of whom.

* * *

The next morning, the trio ate a light breakfast once Elsa had arrived—preserving the illusion of their being nothing more than friends, of course. Then they immediately retired to the now-aptly-named "drawing room" in order to paint.

"You're… sure you won't laugh at my figure?" Rapunzel asked, clutching the loose robe they had provided her more tightly about her shoulders. Already, she was blushing down at her bare feet, mocking her with the reminder that they weren't the only part of her that was without covering.

"I won't laugh, I promise," Elsa said from her spot behind her easel, getting her paints in order, "I can't say the same for Anna, however…"

"Hey!" Anna pouted from behind her own easel, proudly garbed in the smock Elsa had gifted to her for Christmas. It had since seen many uses since then but still remained just as comfortable as ever. And with painting her cousin nude, it would probably be best to be as comfortable as possible… "I'm not going to laugh at her, either! She won't visit again otherwise…"

The banter seemed to have eased Rapunzel, for she laughed, relaxing her shoulders. The flush on her cheeks still remained, but she walked over to the stool prepared with a small bounce to her step.

"Ready when you are," Elsa promised her.

"Oh… well then, here I go!" With a weak chuckle that almost turned into a whimper toward the end, Rapunzel discarded her robe and seated herself.

And Elsa did not react. Not outwardly, at any rate; as she had told Anna, she was nothing if not professional. But as she began to trace the brush across her canvas, a little at a time… privately, she could definitely appreciate the pretty young thing seated so nervously in front of her. Aesthetically, she had similar qualities to those that drew her to Anna in the first place. Not identical, and Anna was more appealing to her palate. Still…

Staving off those thoughts as best she could, she glanced over at Anna to mark her progress. The portrait was just beginning to take shape, and she was doing quite well for herself. The thought of Anna having honed her craft so much since they met brought a more earnest pleased expression to her face, and helped her turn and focus on her own task.

"Ooh…" When they leaned in to look at her, Rapunzel squirmed but tried not to move too much, hoping she hadn't ruined their work. "N-nothing. Just that… when Elsa's eyes are on me, I feel like she is… looking _through_ me somehow. Isn't that silly?"

Anna smiled, ducking her head a little as her cheeks warmed slightly. "No...no, it's not. I feel that way too. Sometimes."

 _She can get so...intense. It's at once terrifying and exhilarating._

"Oh?" Elsa's voice dripped with amusement, almost a purr. "I must understand my subject, _non?_ And for that, I must focus—confer the utmost respect as my hands immortalize the image for years to come."

"Intense," the cousins said in unison, matter-of-factly. Elsa feigned insult, turning her head away with her nose in the air, and giggles soon filled the room.

Eventually the giggles subsided as Elsa kept her focus trained on the task at hand for the next while, taking only the briefest required glimpses at their model for the day. For while she appreciated the female form, and Rapunzel's _was very similar_ to Anna's—she was not _trying_ to make Anna jealous even though that is plainly what had occurred the day prior.

Another half hour passed and Elsa reached a natural break point, having mostly completed the torso of the brunette on her canvas. She set her brush down, and quietly walked around to stand just behind Anna using the easel and canvas to block Rapunzel from her view and vice versa. With a mere whisper, she queried of the woman as she still painted, " _Ma bien-aimée, êtes-vous d'accord?_ " As she continued, a melancholy tone seeped into her voice. "I'm sorry for making you jealous, it was _jamais mon intention de la faire_ —I only sought to tease the girl _._ I… actually did not expect her to go through with this—in my experience, very few women feel comfortable enough to do so. _S'il vous plaît, pardonnez-moi?_ "

Anna halted upon finishing the stroke of brush to canvas to give Elsa a sidelong glance. What she saw surprised her greatly, for the woman she loved stood behind her looking almost frail with her hands clenched tightly to her chest and eyes glistening as though tears were ready to stream from them without even a moment's notice. " _Oh, ma chérie…_ " she whispered in return, "I suppose I cannot lay all the blame on you, even though I guess I have been." Her lips twisted slightly as she frowned. "And yes, the idea of your eyes roaming so freely over the figure of another _au nu_ makes me _exceedingly_ jealous. But… I never should have let that conversation get to the point where her being painted in this fashion even came up—she is my cousin, and I know how strong-willed she can be." She hesitated a moment before her voice took on a slight lilt of humour, "Much like somebody else I know, and love."

That seemed to break Elsa from her somber mood, as she wiped the faint traces of moisture from her eyes—eyes which alit anew with a twinkle.

"I am glad," Elsa murmured as her lips curved into a small smile that matched Anna's. She straightened back up, smoothing out any creases on her smock before returning to her easel. Her steps felt lighter from the exchange.

" _Je t'aime,"_ Anna whispered, much too low for Rapunzel to hear but just enough to catch Elsa's attention. Her voice dripped with mischief; the endearment more teasing than anything else, and the blonde shot a brief look over her shoulder. The warmth in her cheeks belied any steel her warning gaze held, and that warmth merely grew when Anna's shoulders shook from her barely-suppressed laughter.

"Is everything alright?" she heard Rapunzel ask.

"Everything's fine!" Anna called when Elsa failed to respond, waving a paint-smeared hand at her cousin.

Anna glanced over at Elsa, only to see her deeply focused on her canvas once more—having begun to paint Rapunzel's face. Anna was certain that once she finished the face, she would go back over the entire work as she always did to do small touch-up work, but from what she saw she was deeply impressed—although she was always impressed with the blonde's paintings, the woman was a true _artiste_.

She returned to focus again on her own canvas—she had the entire body outline in place, and had mostly finished the brunette's head and face already. Re-taking her brush into hand, Anna went back to finishing the face before moving onto the torso.

Rapunzel did her best to remain still, as she fought to keep the blush from her cheeks whenever one of the _artistes_ looked her way.

"It's alright," Elsa reassured her during one of the moments she wasn't even looking at her. "I have painted more than just you and Anna in this fashion. Though I'm sure it will be of little comfort…"

"A-ah," Rapunzel tittered, blushing yet deeper at her blush having been noticed. "Well, I am glad that I'm not forcing you to do something that's… unusual."

"Forcing? It is a pleasure to have such a fine model." She saw Anna's eyebrow lift out of the corner of her vision, and grinned to keep herself from laughing. "A perfect specimen, molded from the gods themselves!" she began to exaggerate. "A paragon of—

"Oh, stop teasing her," Anna cut across her, even though what she likely meant was "stop teasing _me._ "

Again, a laugh from the visitor, but one more robust and full of humour. "Oh, you two are so funny together; just like an old married couple!"

They both froze.

Thankfully, Rapunzel was too swept up in her mirth to notice the two painters stiffen at how closely her words had danced to their relationship. Elsa cleared her throat, managing an amused "Why, thank you," while Anna continued to grasp for words in her head.

"Y-Yeah, we try our best to entertain," the girl finally said, hiding behind her canvas. "Pretty convincing, _non?_ "

"Oh, it's not such a bad thing," Rapunzel mused as she shifted back into her original position on the stool. "It simply means you two are very close. A wonderful friendship!"

"Suppose that's true," Elsa chuckled, adding a few more touches. Even despite their interruption, she had not mussed her work; so used to interruptions from Hans had she grown that almost nothing could make her do such a horrible thing. Her instinct was now to jerk her hand away from the canvas when surprised, and then worry about what was going on second.

Rapunzel nodded very briefly, returning her head to more or less the same position as before. "But you needn't pretend I am so beautiful just to tease each other."

"Who says I was pretending? Why, if you were a free woman, and I a free man…" They all chuckled, although Anna's was very slightly forced. "Anyway, chiding aside, you have nothing to feel ashamed about. Surely there is a beau waiting for you back in Arras?"

"Well…"

" _Well?"_ Anna prodded, distinctly interested now as she looked around the easel. Again, that caused Rapunzel to blush and look away, but her red-haired cousin was too focused on this potential gossip. "There _is_ a suitor?"

One of the girl's delicate hands came up to wave her away. "A silly boy who comes around to call up at me from the street, nothing more. Mother won't let him actually court me, she says he isn't 'of high enough breeding', but it hasn't dissuaded him yet."

"Oh? Persistent, is he? It's an admirable quality so long as it doesn't veer into excess," Anna mused, sharing a look with Elsa that her cousin couldn't see, what with her gaze still averted. She winked, and Elsa chuckled, shaking her head in mock dismay.

"Hmmm…" Elsa hummed out, as if thinking over the matter before continuing, "perhaps that is so, however who are we to judge what veers into excess?" She fired her own wink back at Anna in challenge as she finished her thought. "Sometimes a great deal of persistence is required when the target of one's affections is utterly oblivious to them."

Anna gasped at Elsa's boldness—she would have paid it no mind if the statement was uttered privately between the two of them, but with her cousin mere feet away from them…

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm _utterly oblivious_ …I understand what it is he's trying to do," they heard Rapunzel say, and Elsa flashed a brief, parting smirk at Anna before returning her attention to their blushing subject. "Oh...what should I do?" the brunette asked, wringing her hands, and Elsa suppressed her flinch at seeing the woman out of position again. "I'm...curious to see where it could lead, and he invited me to the festival with him, but…"

Elsa chuckled. "Well, if you truly are interested, then I would suggest you meet with the gentleman and spend some time getting to know him. Perhaps he's not as roguish as he seems? And even if he is… there may not be anything wrong with that, either."

Anna interjected, "The festival sounds like a great time for that. Lots of people, easygoing atmosphere."

Both painters were looking around their easels to watch their subject at this point. Rapunzel sighed airily, eyes glossing over. She breathed out, "Yeah."

Anna and Elsa shared a knowing sidelong glance.

"You...should pursue him," Elsa said quietly, averting her gaze from Anna's to settle on the painting she was still working on. "After all...'tis better to have tried for something rather than not trying at all. You don't...want to regret something you had control over."

Rapunzel looked to Anna questioningly. "Anna, do you think the same?"

Anna sighed deeply, then took a deep breath. Her reply came out with a morose undertone. "I do. You must be true to your heart first and foremost. Your mind may be trying to tell you there's another path, but if it leads you away from that of your heart…" she trailed off softly.

Rapunzel stared at her cousin with a frown and a furrowed brow. The young woman was newly married, and yet the way she answered sounded like she'd been so deeply wounded in love already.

Elsa, gaze still focused deeply on her painting with the easel shrouding her from their subject's view, felt tears well up in her eyes once again—though she fought them back as regret coiled her stomach. However, she knew she had to change the topic, else there would be a _very_ uncomfortable conversation.

With a forced cheery tone, she inquired, "Rapunzel, you mentioned you were headed to Paris when you depart dear Anna's company in a few days. Are there any particular sights you were hoping to take in while you visit?"

Thankfully the brunette didn't shift too much in her position, though the twitch in her shoulders spoke of how she wished to straighten up and probably clap her hands together with how her eyes immediately brightened at the question.

"Oh, _Notre Dame de Paris_ , of course!" Rapunzel enthusiastically answered, "And Montmartre, and Sainte-Chapelle, and—"

 _I've forgotten how many churches exist in Paris…_ "Are there any other places you had in mind aside from those?" Elsa cut in, clearing her throat. While those churches were certainly beautiful and artistic in their own right, the subject of religion was a rather...sore one.

"Well, I heard about this new site— _la Fontaine des Nymphes_. It was built by the chief architect of the _Palais du Louvre_."

Elsa's mood brightened upon hearing that. "Oh, yes. Yes, I heard about that—the new public fountains along the wall of _Cimetière des Saints-Innocents_. And the sculpture work by Jean Goujon is supposed to be _magnifique_."

"Oh, that sounds amazing!" Anna exclaimed boisterously. "And the vineyards of Montmartre are quite splendid as well," she began before her voice again began to trail off ever so mildly, "or at least, such has been extolled to me at great length." Thankfully Rapunzel didn't react to the way her voice waned this time.

As their conversation progressed, so did their art. Both paintings were nearing completion.

Elsa, naturally, was the first to finish. It was almost time for dinner when the blonde finally set her brush down and stretched her arms over her head to work out the stiffness in her limbs and upper back. She smiled at her work, feeling rather satisfied at how it had turned out. Of course, there were a few imperfections here and there—details that she wished she could've done differently—but for an attempt to paint her lover's cousin _au nu_ , it was...up to par with her usual works.

 _I wonder how Anna is faring?_

But of course, Anna's was equally perfect. She really had come such a long way; the bright glimmer of diamond had been polished until all the rough fell away, and she shone all on her own merits. The perspective was very slightly different, but there were certain subtleties and contours that presented themselves more strongly in her work. It wasn't quite that Anna's was "better" or "worse" in those areas—merely that she had another view, another artistic vision. One that Elsa adored.

"We'll have to strip your cousin more often," Elsa said in an even, but bemused, tone.

" _Wh-what?!"_ Anna burst out in shock, and a glance at Rapunzel told her the girl was turning red as a fine wine, probably as confused about why she was embarrassed as she was embarrassed in the first place.

"Your painting is magnificent. Apparently, having a subject as lovely as she really brought out your passion." When Anna still looked murderous, her lips twitched as she added, "Artistically."

"I think I'm done here," the redhead grumbled, setting her brush down beside her paints. Elsa laughed at that as she stood up to stretch her legs, walking over to her pouting _protégée_. As she walked, she gestured for Rapunzel to go clothe herself, which the brunette did with much relief.

"I really do mean what I said," Elsa whispered once her feet came to a stop, leaning her face closer under the pretense of scrutinizing Anna's painting. "It truly is magnificent. You've come a long way since the first time you tried painting a nude subject, _ma chére_."

Anna giggled at her words, reaching a hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It seems like forever since that first time," she said in a voice as equally soft, shyly ducking her head. "And it changed so much."

"It did." Elsa's smile turned distinctly insidious, and Anna suppressed a shiver. "And my painting of you… changed everything all the more. For the better, in my studied opinion."

Glancing over at Rapunzel, where she was just struggling into her chemise, Anna replied in a low voice, "Oh? And did those studies include my cousin? I do wonder what kind of research you did back in your motherland. How many, um… _fräulein_ did you find yourself with?"

" _Damen,"_ Elsa corrected very gently, though she silently approved of Anna's every attempt to speak her native language. So few could in France that it was always a bittersweet joy to hear. "And not very many; it's as taboo there as it is here. Although… there were one or two I shared a stolen kiss with, a moment in a cupboard. Nothing so deep as our affection."

"I see," Anna said, unable to suppress her pleased smile completely.

"Though I am a bit surprised you've never asked until this moment. Weren't you curious where my hands have been, before they found their way to your…" Here, Elsa paused to waggle an eyebrow up and down far more than was strictly necessary. _"Croissant?"_

Anna couldn't help it—she snorted out a wholly unrefined laugh.

"Hey! Are you laughing at me?" Rapunzel whined from where she was slipping on the rest of her dress. "Anna, you promised!"

The girl snorted again, nearly slapping a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter before realizing how her hands were still covered in paint. "It's not you, I promise!" she managed to call back. "Just...Just a funny joke Elsa told me." Her cheeks nearly hurt from the force of her smile.

"Really? What's the joke?" her cousin asked, striding over to them with a smile, now fully-clothed.

Chuckling, Elsa saw her fidgeting behind her back and leapt with the sudden realisation that she was trying to do up the back, rushing around behind her to assist. For her part, Anna fetched her shoes from near the door. "Nothing that would make much sense to you, I'm afraid," the blonde assured her as she pulled the strings tight of her corset tight first. "You know how old friends begin to share memories, and amusements based on those that no one else would find amusing."

"Ohhh, do try, do try!" Rapunzel whinged as she jumped up and down slightly, making it difficult for Elsa to accomplish her goal. "Even if I don't laugh, that's alright."

"Very well, you _starrkopf._ " Luckily, the girl didn't seem to know that bit of German. Should she or shouldn't she tell her what they had been laughing about? In the end, she decided that as long as she wasn't specific… it might be amusing to tease the girl yet further. "We were just saying that, to, well… _une femme qui aime les femmes,_ a woman's _organes génitaux_ must be like a buttered croissant."

The short-haired brunette nearly leapt forward with a tiny squeak, so surprised was she by this turn in the conversation—an action that backfired drastically. As Elsa was still grasping onto her corset strings as tightly as she was, suddenly all of the poor girl's air supply was cut off by the tightly-clenched whalebone, and she began to scrabble at her throat with her hands.

" _Zut alors!"_ Anna gasped as she ran forward to help her cousin regain breath. However, Rapunzel was startled by the movement further, the poor, flighty thing, and fell backward against Elsa, knocking them both to the carpet with a dull _thump!_

By the time they disentangled their limbs and tried to sit up, it was clear that Elsa had done her level best to catch their _modèle du jour_ to cushion her fall. Unfortunately, this meant her hands ending up in two very unfortunate locations.

Rapunzel's corset strings may have been loosened in the process and given her air to breathe, but that did not erase the fierce blush spreading across her cheeks at the involuntary squeeze Elsa's hands gave to her breasts.

Immediately, the two yelped and scrambled to put distance between each other.

"Y-you… _are_ you _du genre coureur de jupons_ after all?!" Rapunzel accused, clutching the front of her dress as she backed into the wall, heels still digging at the edge of the area rug.

" _Pardonnez-moi, plus sincères excuses!"_ Elsa told her desperately, completely shocked out of her playful mood by this turn of events. "I w-was just making a jest, I did not intend to startle you so! Are you alright?!"

At first, Anna had been standing with a scandalised look on her face, flipping between angry with her lover and concerned for her cousin. But now all she could do was laugh. So ridiculous did her harried Elsa look, beginning to crawl toward a scurrying little brunette who seemed more mouse than _mademoiselle_ , that she could not contain her bemusement, and doubled over in gales.

She was aware of two different glares burning into her, but she didn't care. This was simply too amusing! " _Mon dieu,_ I haven't laughed like that in a while!" Anna exclaimed, clutching at her sides, which were beginning to hurt. "Elsa, you should see your face!"

" _Halt dein mund! Das ist schlimmer, Anna!"_ the blonde hissed; that very face turning as red as the brunette's opposite of her. Then, to the brunette in question, "I am so, _so_ sorry about that, Rapunzel! I was only trying to catch you!"

"OH! Oh, you 'caught' me, alright, you, you… _femme-amant!"_ But when Anna only continued to laugh at her, she buried her face in her hands and wailed, "Oh, I shall never be married! My body has been sullied—and by a woman painter, of all people!"

Finally, Elsa seemed to lose her patience with both of them and struggled to her feet, face a healthy puce. "Oh, to Hell with both of you over-emotional nuisances! I'm going to make some tea while you collect yourselves!" Anna was still laughing when she stomped from the room back to the parlour, rolling her eyes toward the heavens despite her atheistic leanings.

* * *

By dinnertime, the incident had become little more than a joke, earning a chuckle or two from Elsa at Anna and Rapunzel's exaggerated retellings at the table—much to the amusement of everyone there, including Kai and a few other servants as the food made its way around. In Hans' absence, Anna had insisted they join them at the table—to hell with the intricacies of servitude! It certainly made the manor feel cozier with more people around that weren't smug nobles.

"I'm sure you'll still find someone to marry you, _mademoiselle,_ " Kai reassured the brunette dramatically clutching at her heart, earning another round of laughter.

" _Non,_ I will never," she said, raising a dramatic hand to her forehead, palm out. "I shall die an old maid, never having known a man's touch!"

"Only a woman's," Anna giggled, unable to help herself. Even Elsa chuckled at it now, though hers held a tinge more guilt than her ginger cohort's.

"Oh, stop teasing her, Anna. She's had enough excitement for one day, between posing _au nu_ and having her breasts fondled."

There was a theatrical gasp from Rapunzel, and she actually picked up a pea on her spoon and used it as a catapult to fling the tiny green sphere at Elsa's head. "Don't speak so crassly, you womanizer! If you wanted a grope, you could have at least asked!"

Catching her own words, she gasped and giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, and the entire rest of the table lost their ability to squelch their own mirth for nearly ten minutes. And so it went for the rest of the evening.

Rapunzel, of course, would be staying the night before her departure in the morning—most likely sharing a room with Anna and catching up further until they burned the midnight oil. As such, Elsa and Anna only had a few minutes of privacy to spare, exchanging quick kisses and fleeting touches away from curious eyes. Pressing a final kiss to Anna's cheek, Elsa whispered a farewell for the night to her lover, promising a day of passion after their visitor left.

But for now…

"Sweet dreams," Anna softly called, waving after the blonde. Elsa gave a wave of her own before continuing down the hallway to her old room, as it was too late to brave the streets of Paris at this time...nor did she want to be too far from Anna tonight, either.

After all, a head start was always welcome…

* * *

They gathered out front of the de Neuvillette château to bid the dear relation farewell as Kai helped load her bags into the coach. Anna wiped at her eyes as she drew back from their third or fourth hug, saddened to see her only distant relation with whom she spoke go and lamenting that she would be gone so long.

Then Rapunzel came to Elsa. Her arms widened for a hug, but then she drew them back in and held up a finger. "Watch your hands," she warned with a slight smirk.

" _Bien sûr,"_ she laughed, giving her a chaste hug and a few pats on the back, the usual cheek-kisses. "I promise no more funny business, even by accident. I've learned my lesson."

"Oh? What a pity, I was beginning to get used to your roaming fingers!"

" _Tu marrante,"_ Elsa chuckled weakly, more than weary of the ribbing by now but putting up with it one last time because Rapunzel was being such a good sport about the unfortunate event. "Truly a hilarious branch of Anna's family tree."

"Who says I'm joking?"

As the brunette returned to the carriage, blowing a kiss to Anna, she waved to both of them with her handkerchief, an "Au revoir!" on her lips while she began to pull away from her cousin's home. But her eyes remained on Elsa, who began to feel an odd chill creeping up her spine. Perhaps she was just teasing on an entirely new level… perhaps not. Just how powerful was her apparent magnetism?

Elsa nearly flinched at the feeling of an arm looping around her own, familiar fingers threading with hers. "Oh, relax," Anna quietly chided, too low for Kai to hear, "It's just a bit of fun."

"I seem to recall _you_ didn't find it so funny at one point," Elsa chuckled, giving her lover's hand a squeeze before taking a step to the side and letting go when Kai turned to look at them.

"Sprightly, isn't she?" he remarked with a smile, turning to head back into the château. "Shall I prepare the usual mid-morning snack for you two in the painting room?"

Elsa resisted the urge to smirk in Anna's direction—not when the servant's eyes were still on them as he glanced over his shoulder. Instead, she cleared her throat, answering in as casual a voice as she could muster, "Actually, could you bring it to the private gallery instead? Anna thought it would be nice to look over the collection and see how it could be...improved."

"Ah...of course," Kai said, bobbing his head in a nod before disappearing through the doors.

Anna immediately whirled on her, mouthing "Improved?" as she arched a russet brow in confusion. Elsa merely chuckled again, moving to follow Kai's lead in returning inside. She glanced over her shoulder, lips curling into a smirk that left no doubt as to what she had in mind.

"I'd say we need a couple _nude figures_ to liven the collection, don't you agree?"

...And liven it, they did.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, The Wandering Quill


	10. The Art of War

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 10**

 _The Art of War_

* * *

It was a quiet morning, some four months hence since Hans' departure to Civitella. Elsa had arrived early at the de Neuvillette estate to call on Anna for breakfast, with the late April weather quite pleasant this year.

They sat together eating their breakfast with a warm cup of tea while quietly enjoying each other's presence, until they were interrupted suddenly. With an anxious tone, Kai beckoned of Anna, "Please, _Madame_ , there is an urgent caller awaiting you in the parlour."

Both Anna and Elsa tensed immediately. Anna seldom had anybody call at the chateau… besides Elsa, of course. As she stood from the table, Anna reached out for Elsa's hand to gently pull on it. Elsa acknowledged the request to accompany her beloved to the parlour, standing with her.

Once they arrived, Kai opened the door for them to enter where they found a solitary figure slowly pacing the room with his back to them.

Anna gasped, shaken by the appearance of the man across the room, wearing a crisply pressed black doublet trimmed with gold stitching and matching breeches. When he turned, they could plainly see the heraldry of Picardie on his left breast—four squares of color: blue at the top left and lower right, white at the lower left and top right, each section separated by arms of the Cross of France with lys flowers upon it.

The man walked slowly toward them, before stopping a few _pied du roi_ from Anna as he faced her with a somber expression. "You are the lady of the house? _Madame de Neuvillette?_ "

Anna replied hesitantly in a weak voice, " _Oui…_ "

He took a deep breath. "I am _Sous-lieutenant Mignières. Je regrette de vous informer que votre mari est tombé dans la ligne du devoir. Toutes mes condoléances._ "

Fallen. Hans had met an untimely end on the field of battle. The wife— _la veuve de Neuvillette,_ as she would now be known—reached out blindly for Elsa's arm, finding it after the first few attempts. "You… this isn't possible. No, y-you're mistaken."

"Afraid not," he followed up, stiffly formal but not unnecessarily cold. "There was confirmation. I am sorry for your loss."

"No…" Her voice tightened, and her eyes began to swim. "Wh-why… how could…"

Elsa hastily wrapped her arms around Anna, cradling her newly widowed lover's head to her breast. She saw Kai wave the man out of the room and close the door behind them, leaving the women alone in private for a few minutes.

At first, the tears did not quite come. Anna was in shock, of course, not having expected to hear such news on an otherwise unimportant day. Then, little by little…

"O-oh," she whispered into Elsa's crisp linen shirt, voice strained. "Well, it… is war, I did expect- I mean, not _expect_ , but dreaded… oh, Elsa, how could he have been k-killed so soon?! It isn't fair, it's- how dare they kill my husband, what _right_ do they have to be s-so—

"Shhh, shhhh," Elsa soothed her, patting along her hair as the red-haired widow began to sob at last. She herself felt her eyes prick with tears, but held them back; there would be time enough for her own grieving later, when she was alone. Private mourning. Anna needed her in the here and now.

Minutes passed, and when Anna was little better, she guided her onto the nearest couch and settled her upon it, arms remaining around her all the while. When Kai very surreptitiously poked his head in to inquire about her well-being, Elsa mimed raising a teacup to her lips; he understood at once, and went to prepare something to settle her nerves, should she have need.

Kai returned shortly with the tea, setting it upon the small table in the parlour before retreating from the room again. All the while, Anna remained sobbing with her head pressed to Elsa's breast, with the blonde's arms wrapped firmly around her in an attempt to provide as much comfort as she could.

Elsa softly asked, " _Ma chérie_ , would you care for some tea?" The rustle of fabric as red locks shook side to side against her chest was the only reply she received.

Several more minutes passed before Anna's tears finally subsided, her body settling to calmly rest against Elsa—no longer wracked with shaking sobs. Her voice was strained when she finally did speak again. "I- some tea…"

"Oh, of course. Though we will have to stand for me to get it."

"R-Right. Okay… I can do that."

The two stood, Anna taking Elsa's hand in a death-grip. "I'm right here, Anna, _ma bien-aimée_. I'm not going anywhere…" she tenderly reassured. "I shall stay with you _jusqu'à la fin des temps_ , if you'll have me _._ " Anna only squeezed her hand tighter.

Once they made their way to the table, Elsa proceeded to pour each of them a cup of tea. They returned to the couch again and sat themselves down, Anna leaning on Elsa's shoulder.

"I… I want to- no, I… I _need_ to know… how…" Anna struggled to get the words out, before taking a sip of her tea. The warm liquid soothed her throat immensely.

"Don't worry about that right now. Just…" Sighing deeply, she pressed her lips together as she tried to think of what best to say. Nothing came to her, but she decided to make an attempt regardless. "He was a good man. Maybe not the greatest, or wisest, but I think in his own way he tried to bring beauty to the world. Through us, our talents. Either way, he most definitely touched our lives."

"That he d-did…" Blowing her nose on her handkerchief, she let out a long, anguished sigh as she attempted to stem the flow of tears, with moderate success. Another sip of tea bolstered her further, gave her an even voice. "Ah… I won't pretend I enjoyed being his wife, but he was a good friend, at least. Just can't believe he's…"

Elsa reached over to lay her hand on Anna's again, caressing the skin soothingly as her other arm lay gently against her back. "It is a shock, to be sure. Even in wartime."

"Oh… _Dieu_ , Elsa, what will I do now? The de Neuvillette estate is not mine to inherit, I'll… not be penniless, but I doubt I'll be given enough to buy my own premises, I—

But at those words, Elsa could not help but let out a harsh chuckle. Not a true laugh, one of genuine amusement, but one that said she found the question utterly ridiculous.

"What on earth are you thinking of, _fille irréfléchie?_ You're going to stay with me, naturally."

With an undertone of incredulity, Anna replied, "With… you?"

"Well of course, dear sweet Anna. You are _ma bien-aimée_ , are you not?"

" _Oui…_ " Her cheeks flushed, only for her to continue, "as are you mine, _ma chérie_."

"Then why would we consider any other arrangement? We shall spend the rest of our days together, in _our home_."

Anna's eyes lit up, the solemn nature of the _Sous-lieutenant_ 's visit temporarily forgotten. " _Our?_ "

"But of course—"

Elsa's reply was halted by supple lips pressed firmly against hers, not frenzied but impassioned nonetheless, as Anna conveyed the depth of her love and gratefulness—and Elsa responded in kind. The kiss was slow, gentle, tender—and yet so filled with emotion that both women began to shed tears, only parting when the need for air finally overtook them.

"I'm so glad I have you," Anna whispered, voice thin and uncertain despite her words. "Without you here, I don't know if I could… if there would be any sense in…"

But again, Elsa shushed her. The newly-widowed woman seemed to think she needed to explain herself, to speak, but there were no words for how they felt to be unearthed. All they could do to help ease the situation was to give it time. Time and patience.

Some minutes later, Kai knocked on the door and entered, looking sheepish to even be doing that much. Coughing into his fist, he said, _"Excusez l'intrusion, mesdames,_ but the gentleman did give me their official letter as to… well, the circumstances. I could bring it in now, or leave it until later. At your discretion."

When Elsa only looked up to motion with her hand for him to come closer, he did, walking as softly as possible across the rug to place the letter in her waiting hand. Then he bowed slightly and backed from the room.

Elsa sat watching Anna as she stared at the envelope after Kai had exited the room, closing the door behind him. "I… you said you need to know, but… are you ready to read it?"

"I… Yes. I need to know now…" Anna trailed off.

"You won't be able to have closure. I understand. Would you rather I not be here when you read it?" Elsa asked warily, her voice full of concern.

"What? No… of course I want you here, with me." To further impress her point, Anna once more leaned into Elsa's body, resting her head against the now dampened linen shirt covering the blonde's chest.

A slight smile graced Elsa's lips, happy that she could continue to be there for Anna—to be her rock. "Thank you," she whispered, then laid a brief kiss upon Anna's forehead.

"May… may I?" the redhead inquired, one hand outstretched in request of the envelope. She handed Anna the envelope, trepidation twisting her smile into a worried frown. Anna's hands trembled as she opened the envelope and pulled the enclosed letter out.

Elsa waited patiently as she read over it. Several minutes passed. Then the redhead lowered her hand, gazing off to one side.

"The siege… went badly. He caught a bullet to the…" Her hand came up and gestured to her own head, before she shivered from the implications of such a wound. Both teal eyes returned to the letter for a moment before she thrust it across to Elsa, wanting it to be as far away from her as possible.

Folding it up, her other hand reached across to rest on her lover's shoulder. "Oh, Anna, I am sorry. You did love him, after a fashion, didn't you?"

"Yes." Her hand came up to clutch Elsa's hand against her, and hard. "After a fashion. He was a good friend to us, wasn't he? Despite his many quirks."

"Yes, I suppose he was. If for nothing else, I am grateful to him for the opportunity to meet you—though that is not all, as he did provide patronage for all these several years and the opportunity to become my own woman. And… much as I detested the time he was with you, he did right by you and respected your wishes. I must commend him on those qualities." She looked to Anna's tear-stained face and cringed. "I-I'm sorry… I should be more supportive than this."

Anna shook her head. "No… I understand. He was important to us in many ways, even if there were certain… difficulties presented by him, as well. I did love him, as a friend… and he did so much for me, that I would have forever been in his debt—taking me in, giving me the chance to meet you…" Her voice trailed off as tears freshly streamed down her cheek once more.

Elsa pulled the woman against her once more, arms wrapping firmly around her shoulders as she nuzzled her nose into the crook of Elsa's neck in search of solace. She inquired hesitantly, "Did… did he suffer?"

Anna mumbled into her neck, "No… _Dieu merci, pas_. He was shot by an _arquebuse_ … right through the—in the head… they said his death was instantaneous."

"Then that is… a small mercy for which we should be grateful. At least there was no suffering, no prolonging his agony until— But she cut off when she saw the words were not helping Anna. "Would you like me to stay overnight, or would you prefer to come to my chateau? I think no one would fault you for not wanting to sleep in his bed tonight."

"No. No, I will… honour his memory with that, at least." Then her eyes turned up toward her Elsa, desperately imploring her to comply. "Sleep beside me there?"

While the contents of her stomach churned, Elsa shook her head. "That would not be proper."

"To hell with proper! I cannot bear the thought of sleeping alone tonight!"

"Anna—

"Please! I… I do not ask that we do anything more than sleep, I'm not so heartless toward his memory this soon after, but I honestly need the company or I shall never…" More fresh tears overtook her, and Elsa drew her in tightly, kissing the crown of her head and stroking up and down her back soothingly.

"For you," she whispered in reply. "For your sake alone, I shall do this. But… we must be in full bedclothes—I cannot… I will not… not in his bed." She paused briefly. "But… Anna, _chérie_ … Heartless? You? _**Jamais!**_ You have the most utterly pure, sweet heart of anybody in this entire world." She laid a lingering kiss to the crown of her head.

" _Je… je vous remercie._ " Elsa felt, more than heard, the timid response against her neck.

They sat once again in quiet, the somber mood washing over and through them as each continued to come to terms with Hans' passing. However, after several minutes had passed the atmosphere was violently broken by a loud grumbling.

Elsa smiled slightly at this—an opportunity to remove themselves from this shroud of sorrow, if only briefly. "Anna, I appreciate that this is a difficult time, but you must eat to keep your strength. Please," she implored of her beloved, "let us find Kai, and get some food."

"Oh, but I don't much feel like food…" However, she allowed herself to be led off toward the kitchen, the letter forgotten on the couch. It would remain there until the following day, where it would spark yet another fit of weeping. From both of them.

* * *

The memorial service was brief and tasteful, and attended by some of the late Hans's fellow soldiers who had not gone to the front alongside him, as well as the messenger who had borne the letter to their house. Anna very much looked the part of aggrieved widow, hidden inside a black dress with an equally-black veil. However, her tears were quite real, even if her "undying devotion" to their marriage had been somewhat of a forgery.

Several days following were spent nearly alone in her estate. The family had not insisted she vacate right away, and had in fact given their word that she would have several months to get her affairs in order, but she told them she would be moving in with her good friend as soon as was permissible, giving the excuse that "the ghost of her husband" lingered in the halls. Though she would take reminders of him with her, she could only remain sorrowful the longer she stayed.

So it was that, a week after she had paid her last respects, Roxanna's worldly possessions were being carted the short distance through the streets to Elsa Maurer's estate. Everything had arrived safe and sound, though a great deal of it was merely piled up in the receiving room, to be allocated space a bit at a time.

Anna and Elsa found themselves at the de Neuvillette estate for the last time, to ensure that Anna had not missed anything in her packing, and to bid farewell to the staff who she had gotten to know over the past two years.

A final sweep of the premises revealed that the only item missed was a single painting. However, it was one of particular import to the pair which had been tucked away in Hans' private gallery, away from prying eyes—one which neither of them wanted his family to see, or to be in possession of. Once the canvas had been _very carefully_ rolled and secured for travel, they made their way back to the entranceway of the chateau.

There they were greeted by the sight of the entire staff standing in two rows, flanking the path to the doors. Many of them appeared slightly unsettled, and amongst all the women on staff a glimmer of moisture could be seen in the corner of their eyes. As Anna entered the room with Elsa a few steps behind, Kai was the first to approach her.

He fought to keep a straight face, even as his voice wavered slightly when he spoke. " _Madame…_ you will be greatly missed here. You always brought such warmth and joy to this house. I truly hope that your fate holds better things for you in the future."

" _Je vous remercie_ , Kai. For absolutely everything over the past couple years… you've always been so kind and helpful. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Anna's voice cracked as she struggled to keep her tears from falling, and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders in a tight embrace. "And I shall miss you dearly. You are a wonderful man."

"Oh," he half-laughed, half-sobbed dismissively. Then he embraced Elsa, being careful of the painting she was carrying. "You even moreso; though we did not get along when you first came to us, I… count the both of you as family."

The blonde kissed him on either cheek, then whispered, "If you're ever looking for a change in employment… well, I can't provide a lavish lifestyle such as this, but… our door is open to you."

"That is much appreciated, _madame."_

Once they were outside, Anna sighed, steps slow and ponderous as they approached the waiting carriage. "It really is a shame I can't have you move in here with me, instead. Not that I have anything against your own chateau; I love it dearly! But…"

"But you shall miss your home." When Anna nodded, she looked skyward as they waited for the _chauffeur_ to open the doors. "Understandable. I was much the same when departing Germany, but… here I am, with you, and property of my own. I've not a single regret."

Slowly, she allowed her lips to pull back into a smile. "Nor do I."

Just as Anna started towards the carriage, they heard the trampling of hooves approaching from the gates. Both women turned their heads to see another, smaller carriage making it's way towards the front entry of the chateau.

"That's strange," Anna commented. "Hans' family wasn't supposed to arrive for at least another week, I thought."

Elsa took a long, hard look at the carriage as it stopped. Her eyes lit up in recognition. " _Ma chèr_ , it's your cousin, returned from _Paris_."

Anna's eyes widened and twinkled. "Rapunzel!" she shouted across the courtyard as the door to the carriage started to open.

"Anna?" Came her cousin's reply, with a querying tone. "Were you and Elsa off somewhere?"

"Oh, Punzie… I have so much news for you."

Rapunzel raised her brow. Elsa interjected with an even tone, "Rapunzel, if you would please follow our carriage to our estate, we can fill you in on all the details upon our arrival there."

Confused as she was by their direction, she did as they asked. The miniature procession soon arrived in front of the smaller, tasteful estate; Elsa's income from her paintings had enabled her to add small touches that transformed it from tasteful but plain, to the resplendent chateau on the lane. Planter boxes filled with local flora, striking paint, and expensive-looking tapestries that could be glimpsed through the windows added to the impression that someone very wealthy had decided to decorate a very unimpressive abode.

"Ohhhh, but it is so beautiful!" Rapunzel was saying as she stepped from the carriage, the stressed-looking chauffeur unloading her bags for her. "You really do have premises, Madame Maurer—and they are _très fantastique!"_

Smiling as she held the door open for the cousins, Elsa said, "And it is your home away from home, whenever you can escape the clutches of your overbearing mother. Please, come in."

"Yes, but… I do not understand." Once they had managed to work their way inside, she found herself looking for a place to sit in the receiving room, and finding the only one, she did not wish to claim it out from under the hostess or her cousin. "Why do we come here when we were already at my cousin's home? And… dare I ask… why you are wearing _vêtements noirs?"_

The question stole the light from Anna's eyes, but not her smile for her cousin. Not entirely. "That's what we wanted to tell you. Please, sit."

Rapunzel made her way to the lone unoccupied chair and sat down. All the while she looked at each of the other women in turn inquisitively. Once she was seated, Elsa moved to stand at Anna's side and rested her hand gently upon her upper arm.

"Punzie…" Anna began, "let me start at the beginning. When you last visited, you knew that my husband was sent to the front lines in Civitella, yes?"

"Yes…"

"Well, a few weeks after you left while Elsa and I were having breakfast at the de Neuvillette estate—"

Rapunzel interrupted, "The de Neuvillette estate?"

Anna's voice began to waver. "Please, Punzie… let me…"

"Anna? Are you okay?" Elsa gently squeezed Anna's arm.

"I- Yes, yes I'm okay now." Anna briefly turned to Elsa and gave her a small smile, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and turned back to Rapunzel. "That morning, we had a caller during breakfast… an officer from the military. Hans… he was killed on the battlefield—shot… in the head." Her voice cracked, and she started to tremble.

" _Ma chérie…_ " Elsa whispered softly, to which Anna waved her hands motioning for Elsa to continue before she pressed her face to the blonde's shoulder. She gently stroked her opposite hand through red locks as she felt her shirt start to dampen, before turning her attention to the brunette sitting across the room.

"Please excuse her, this is a trying time yet even after several days have passed."

"Oh, no… of course. But, why are we here?"

"Once Hans' family was notified, your cousin was made aware that the estate was to return to his family, and not to be left in her possession. When I found this out, I offered for her to come live with me. It was actually rather fortuitous that you arrived when you did, as we were just leaving the estate for the last time."

Leaning forward and clasping her hands, Rapunzel told them earnestly, "I am sorry for your loss, _toutes mes condoléances._ I never had the pleasure of meeting your Hans, but he seemed to be alright from what you told me." Then she pounded both hands down against her knees. "But how could they put her out on the street like that?! Don't they care for their widows?!"

"Well…" Anna glanced up at Elsa very briefly, then shrugged. "They're complete strangers to me. Staying with them would mean feeling like a burden. But staying with Elsa… I mean, she's my _meilleur ami,_ my mentor. Family. Also, she offered, and the offer sounded far better than being a piece of furniture in one of their estates."

"But… you could have come to stay with me, your _relation de sang._ You know that, right?"

"You weren't here to ask. Besides, I…" Her squirming made sense when she said, "We both are well acquainted with your mother."

That made the brunette chuckle harshly. "Very true. Can't say I blame you when you put it that way."

At that, Anna's mood eased somewhat, and she giggled. "Sorry, Punzie. You know you're like a sister to me, but I couldn't live with her." She gave a light-hearted attempt at a grimace towards her cousin at the idea.

Elsa lightly squeezed her shoulder, silently asking, "Are you okay?"

In response, Anna graced her with an easy smile. "I'm fine, _ma chèr_ Elsa. I just needed a moment."

"I'm glad." In an effort to change topics, Elsa inquired, "Would either of you care for some tea? Or, perhaps some wine?"

"Oh, after that news today… I think I'd have to go with the wine."

Elsa silently agreed. "Rapunzel?"

"I'd love some wine, too. But watch out for Anna, she gets intoxicated pretty quickly."

Elsa's lips quirked into a half-smile as she turned to look at the redhead in question. "I'm sure she does," she said softly, her voice containing just the barest hint of teasing. It did the trick—Anna's mood lifted a little bit more as her smile grew.

"Oh, how...how about we make our own wine, hm? To...To take our minds off of things?" she suggested. "I'm sure you haven't tried that before, Punzie."

Rapunzel chuckled—unlike before, it was genuine. "No, I haven't! But I doubt it would age enough to be of any good quality by the end…" She smirked, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I didn't know you knew how to make wine. What else do I not know?"

"A great many things," Elsa teased the brunette, bringing Anna over to help her to standing. "But come. You'll want to leave your shoes and stockings in here—and if you don't have an old chemise, I could fetch one for you, I'm always dropping paint on mine."

Chuckling, Anna began leading Rapunzel upstairs. "Her point is, you don't want to stain anything important. I'll get it for you."

As Rapunzel disappeared with her cousin upstairs and Elsa moved toward the kitchen, she overheard her say, "But how do _you_ know where Elsa's old chemises are?!" She couldn't help but chuckle under her breath.

* * *

Typically, the phrase "stepping on each other's toes" tends to mean hindering someone's progress. In the case of Anna, her cousin and her lover, that phrase applied in the literal. Elsa's fermentation vat was really only large enough for two pairs of stomping feet, and therefore, tossing in a third made the quarters quite close. Not that anyone minded; the _pigeage_ still continued and was quite effective enough to produce what would eventually become a couple new bottles for their drinking pleasure, and all three of them had a riotous time into the bargain.

"We're not... _actually_ going to drink this, are we?" Rapunzel asked later when they were settled in Elsa's kitchen, her broad grin belying any concerns such words would have normally contained. They had decided to go all the way with their creations—corking them, fitting a label, and penning the current year.

"No, of course not," Anna laughed, taking the bottles over to the counter and leaving them to be stored at a later juncture. "We'll have another vintage. This one won't even be wine for a few months, and even then I'd say we let it rest a year yet."

"Oh…" Shrugging, Rapunzel sat back in her chair, tossing the grape-soaked rag onto the tabletop. "And I give up, my feet will simply be red forever."

Tittering, Elsa got up to fetch the bottle they would consume, while Anna worked on cobbling together a modest meal of bread, cheese, and jam to pair with their drink. "Give it a few baths, you'll be the same light shade from top to bottom in no time."

Rapunzel laughed. "I'll take your word for it!"

Elsa chuckled as she returned with the bottle of wine for their quick meal. It was among the few that had fetched a...heftier price than the others in her stock, but it was a special occasion, after all. _Or rather, it's something we all need right now,_ she thought, glancing over at Anna as she set to work opening the bottle. The girl's shoulders were more relaxed than she had seen them recently—no doubt Rapunzel's presence helped ease the weight of her burdens, if even a little. A familiar face. A familial one, rather.

"Thank you," she murmured to the brunette, voice too soft for Anna to hear, "thank you for agreeing to...well…"

"It's not a problem," Rapunzel whispered back, surprising Elsa with how quickly she had picked up the issue. Her voice carried a note of seriousness Elsa hadn't heard from her before. "I'd do anything for Anna's happiness. I mean, it was still fun and all, but...I'm glad it's helped her, too."

"Good, then. We're on the same page."

"I daresay you're a thousand pages ahead of me," Rapunzel chuckled. When Anna picked up all but one of the fresh bottles to take down to the cellar and darted from the room, she leaned forward and added, "And… I'm not _la donneuse,_ just so you know. This conversation never happened."

Laying a finger on the side of her nose, Elsa replied, _"Oui, tout à fait._ I can tell you're trustworthy; I'm an excellent judge of character."

"Oh, really?" she laughed. "Because you seemed to think I was too empty-headed to figure out you're lovers."

It was quite lucky Elsa had only just raised the wine to her lips, otherwise it would have wound up all over the kitchen. "W-we are _what?!"_

Taking advantage of Anna's absence, Rapunzel propped her juice-stained heels up on the table as she drew her own glass into her lap, contemplative. Relaxing into their candid conversation. "I had a lot of time to think in Paris, between sightseeing. First, on your behaviour, and how… flattering it was for me. In a way I didn't expect." Her hand raised to ward off Elsa's sputtering, frantic protests. "No, no, I'm still entirely infatuated with Eugene, and men in general. However… what can I say? Having a woman give me the same attention a man would, and one so gorgeous as you? It was a unique experience."

Her eyes finally turned to meet Elsa's again, and they were wide, serious. "The more I thought about it, the more I realised that she's happy with you. Even without my last visit, I'd be _une imbécile_ to miss that it's you who's making her able to handle this tragedy so well as she is. Your adoring looks, your calling each other _'ma chèr'_ in just the right tone of voice. And all the nudes, always women! Everything paints a clear picture. So in light of all that… I mean, I let you flirt with me, too, so who am I to pass judgment if you're… more than friends?"

Elsa's typically pale cheeks were scarlet as she fought to control her breathing. Flustered nearly to the point of speechlessness, she sputtered, "I… Anna… We… You!"

Anna returned just as Elsa completed her sputtering, having only heard the last two words. After she took a brief glance at her lover, she turned to her cousin. With no small amount of vitriol, she queried of her, "Rapunzel! What did you do to her?!" She then turned her focus to Elsa, kneeling at her feet, putting the glass from her hand onto the table, then taking the blonde's hands into her own. She tried to focus Elsa's attention on herself, gently asking, "Elsa? _Ma bien-aimée?_ "

Upon overhearing the particular term of endearment used by her cousin, Rapunzel sputtered. " _Ma b-bien… ma bien-aimée? Mon Dieu!_ You… the two of you… you're not… _de simples déviantes_ … are you?"

Anna was flooded with a rush of emotions—fear, embarrassment, shame… but at that moment her anger was the one to brim to the surface. Anger which she firmly directed at the brunette watching them with mouth agape. "RAPUNZEL! You… You _asked her ABOUT US_ while I was out of the room?" Her words came out like acid—venomous and cutting.

Taking her feet off the table, she sat forward and replied, "W-well, I did, but… today is not the day to have brought it up with you, not while you're in mourning!"

"Then why bring it up at all?!" Turning back to Elsa, she saw the blonde was coming back to herself a bit more, so she caressed along her arm before following up, "This wasn't appropriate, and it wasn't your place to ask us about it!"

"And wait for you to tell me?" Rapunzel demanded, folding her arms. "In how many years?"

Anna's lips pursed for a moment, trying to decide if they ever would have opened up about their relationship without any sort of prompting, even to someone she loved as much as Rapunzel. In all honesty, she wasn't sure. "Well, that's… you may have a point, but it still wasn't appropriate! End of story!"

However, by this point, their guest's cheeks were growing pink to rival the hue of the mistress of the house. "You… truly are _les lesbiennes,_ I…" Then she allowed her face to drop into her hands. "You painted me _au nu!_ And I liked the attention, but didn't think it was… _that_ sort of attention!"

Elsa, finally ready to speak once more, was first to respond. "Well, it was not… not really. I was merely teasing you, much as you were me at the time. And no, _that_ incident was _NOT intentional_ … you slipped and I merely was attempting to keep you from hitting the floor directly."

Rapunzel's cheeks darkened further, much as that was possible, as she recalled the fall and it's aftermath. "Oh… Oh God!" The brunette proceeded to further bury her face into her hands.

"Much as I do appreciate the female form, and my _preference_ lies with the fairer sex… I am in love with your cousin. I have been for some time now. And… she is the only one I truly have eyes for." She cast a sidelong glance and wide smile towards Anna.

Anna finally stood up, pulling Elsa up with her. Teal eyes met sapphire, both sets filled with love and devotion for one another. She leaned in for a chaste kiss.

A noise much like some sort of dying animal issued from Rapunzel when she spied that, but by the time they looked over, she had a hand over her eyes. "I'm not seeing this… it is not my _place_ to see this!"

"It's a healthy thing," Elsa corrected her, but gently. She knew the poor girl was coming to terms with quite a lot in a short amount of time. "I… know it's uncommon, I'm not so foolish to expect you to understand right away. But trust me when I tell you that if I were a man, I would have courted her and wed her properly. With all of my strength, I would have."

"Don't be cross with Elsa, Punzie. She's been so good to me… and I expect she will be in the future. My entire future."

Now she was lowering her hand, watching the way their arms were around each other, and a small smile blossomed. "Awww… the both of you, _mignonne!_ I mean, it's still strange to me, but I can't pretend you don't suit each other!" Taking a deep breath, she seemed to release a lot of her tension and nervousness. "Now… I don't have to worry about staying with the two of you, do I?"

A lot of concentration went into suppressing the instinct to tease the girl. Somehow, Elsa managed. "No. Just… knock before you enter our bedchamber and you'll be fine." That seemed to tease her effectively enough as it was, for the mere use of the word "bedchamber" set her to blushing an even deeper shade.

Seeing that perhaps their guest might require some time to process everything, Elsa decided to offer the cousins room to talk. "Anna, perhaps you'd like to keep Rapunzel company for a bit, and I will start moving things from the parlour so we all have places to sit for the next few days?"

"Oh, but Elsa… those are all my things. I should help you to move them."

"Fret not, _ma chérie_. We have a guest, and she is your family. It would be rude to leave her unaccompanied; however, this needs to be done. It will only take me a short while, and will give you two some time to talk betwixt yourselves before supper." She leaned over, gave Anna a peck on the cheek, then stepped out of the room to start moving Anna's possessions to her old room.

Rapunzel leaned over, listening to the steps recede. Then she hissed, "So tell me what it's like!"

"What _what_ is like?" When she caught the goofy grin on the brunette's face, she rolled her eyes. "Punzie, are you really that crass?!"

"You can't blame me when you're literally the first ones I've ever met! How does it compare to being with a man? Please, you have to tell me at least some vague detail!"

Anna raised a helpless hand, knowing that Rapunzel was being a lot better about this revelation than she could have been. "Oh… I wouldn't know. I pleasured Hans a few times, with hands, but… we never…"

That brought the houseguest up short. "Oh? Never, even though you were wed?" When Anna shook her head, she raised a hand to her mouth as realisation hit her. "You were in love. With Elsa, the entire time. And yet you… oh, it's so beautiful and so tragic, like something out of a fairy tale…"

"Yes. We confessed our love for each other only shortly before Hans proposed, and…" she trailed off as she felt tears fill the corner of her eyes. "And I could not turn him down at that point. She would not let me, so concerned was she for _my_ reputation… _my_ future—even if it was to be locked in a loveless marriage, and only able to sneak small gestures of affection with my true love on the sly." Her tears freely fell now, there was no will to hold them back as she recounted the various joys and pains of the journey from finding love with Elsa until Hans' passing to her cousin in painstaking detail.

By the end, her cousin also cried freely. "That… it truly is as though it came straight out of a fairy tale."

Elsa walked into the room then, eyeing the two women with their red eyes and tear-streaked faces. "Is everything alright in here?" Her voice small, words hesitantly uttered.

"Oh… yes. Yes, we're fine, _chérie._ I was just telling Punzie the full story of our love, beginning with your painting of the Siege of Orléans—the one you did for the auction at the _hôtel de la Motte-Sanguin._ "

Elsa cocked an eyebrow as if to say, "The _full_ story?"

Anna simply shook her head slightly.

 _Well, we still have some secrets to keep, after all…_ Elsa smiled a little as she rejoined them at the table. "It's...hard to believe it's been that long. Perhaps because I can't imagine life without you in it...without _this_. It almost feels like a decade since that painting, at least."

"The painting that started it all?" Anna mused, matching the blonde's smile with one of her own. "I hardly paid attention to your technique back then—it was simply too... _exhilarating_ watching you work. A veritable goddess at her labors."

Elsa chuckled as she reached for her glass of unfinished wine. "I dare say the painting that _actually_ started it all could, arguably, be the one I painted of _you_ as a goddess." She raised the glass to her lips and paused, peering at her lover over the rim as a smirk curled onto her lips. "I never told you back then...but you truly _are_ a goddess in my eyes. For one so fair, so kind, so skilled...To turn my world on its head with a mere smile, a mere touch, a mere look…"

Her gaze drifted down to the crimson liquid.

"...I would not mind worshipping you as you rightfully deserve."

Anna stared at her, breath taken away by those words, and suddenly, her cheeks matched the color of the liquid that was in front of her. "I…"

" _Mon dieu_ , you two do realize… you're not alone, right?"

The two quickly sucked in a breath from the sudden interruption, and they faced the girl's brightly rouged cheeks. They realized that they definitely weren't alone. The eyes that widened in front of them left the couple in a state of fear… and that perhaps, Rapunzel was not so accepting about this type of relationship. It was a taboo, after all! Not one, but two!

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but the woman cut her off. "Why don't you two get a room for yourself?!" She turned to Anna. "Anna, my darling, your dear cousin respects your relationship with this… fine, gorgeous woman, but she does not need to hear this!"

Anna, still in the state of shock, wasn't sure if her cousin was furious or not.

...Until, of course, a broad, impish smile formed on Rapunzel's face.

"Such words should be uttered in private, _non?_ " She fanned herself with a hand, falling back to the theatrics they were both familiar with. "Eugene does this _all the time_ , honestly. And Mother most certainly does _not_ need to hear them…"

"Punzie, you scared me!" Anna exclaimed after she finally regained her voice, mimicking strangling her cousin, which only incited a laugh from the still-blushing brunette. "I thought you were...were…"

"Oh, make no mistake, my dear Anna...I _was_ a little put off for a moment there," Rapunzel said lightly, patting the girl's shoulder with her other hand, "but you should know I'm like that with almost all super affectionate pairs. Perhaps it will change when I have a _beau_ of my own, but...flowery words are still too sweet for me right now."

Anna grumbled below her breath, taking a sip of her wine before she was ready to wipe that endearing grin off of her face. "Well, quickly get yourself a _beau_ , you wouldn't want to keep hearing our love talk, would you?" In the corner of her eyes, she noticed a slight blush from Elsa, but the smile resting on her face had almost made it go unnoticed.

Her cousin chortled. "Oh, of course not. If only mother would allow it."

"Well, why don't you let your darling sweep you off the ground and whisk you off with him to an unknown paradise?" Elsa prompted, earning a pair of eyes rolling at her question.

"My mother is not that loose of a person! She would never allow it without her approval."

"She'll go searching from sea to sea, looking for her lost daughter and…" Anna tilted her head. " _Probablement,_ will behead the one who took her away."

" _Exactement."_

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "A mother who doesn't let her own daughter pursue her own happiness without her approval? _Absurde!_ "

"What? Do you expect me to rebel against her? Seek my own happiness even if she disapproves?" Rapunzel tittered, though the slight furrow in her brow said otherwise. "I'm afraid I don't have quite the same _panache_ as you, Elsa Maurer."

Surprised by the sudden outburst of anger, Elsa softened her expression. "Have I angered you?"

The woman shrugged and crossed her arms. The dozens of emotions that swirled around her left her in a conflicted mood. Of course, she knew Elsa had been playing around— _Mon Dieu_ , she was one hell of a teaser, of course. This didn't stop her from the frustration that her mother had given her.

"I'm… more frustrated with myself than angry at you, _ma cher,"_ Rapunzel replied.

"I'd… suggest that you come live with us; however…"

Rapunzel smiled sincerely. "I'd love to take up that offer, but it's not my place to be doing whatever, whenever I want."

Anna quickly slammed her fist on the table before her lover could even retort. The sudden outburst had caused the two to flinch. "Rapunzel, she has taken prisoner of you! Do you not realize that?!"

The brunette sighed. "She...cares for me, in her own way. But what am I supposed to do, Anna? Leave her alone? What would become of her then?"

"She will find someone else to terrify," Anna muttered. When Elsa nudged her, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Listen… you cannot sacrifice your own happiness for someone else's. Especially not when they clearly would never do the same for you. It is… a horrible prospect, _non?"_

Looking at her in earnest, Elsa took a breath. "Rapunzel, _belle ange,_ I may have been teasing you about finding you attractive, but it is a truth; you _are_ a beautiful, smart, capable young woman. You deserve to pursue your own life, your own love! And my offer of rooming you here stands, as long as I have a room to offer, though I daresay you'd be a lot more contented if you found your own place in the world."

"You two…" Sighing, she sat up a bit straighter. "This was my first step, wasn't it? Setting out to see Paris, telling her I would not allow myself to be… _bullied_ out of a simple holiday! I will try to assert myself, be my own person under her roof. If she doesn't allow that… then her roof will no longer be mine."

"That's the spirit," Anna said with a smile, reaching across to briefly squeeze her cousin's hand before sitting back and taking Elsa's again.

Elsa managed to smile a little when she felt Rapunzel's hand reaching for her other one. "I… apologize for getting all worked up. I care for the wellbeing of those who are close to Anna, after all."

"I understand."

There was a moment of silence before Rapunzel smiled again, her eyes shimmering with the beginnings of tears. "I'm so happy Anna is in such capable hands," she said with a small chuckle. "Do right by her, will you? Make her happy? Keep her safe?"

"Of course," Elsa whispered, giving the brunette's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You have my word."

"Do you…" Then Anna dipped her head. "It was a silly thought. _Je suis désolé."_

"No, no, go on," Elsa bade her. Any thought her love had was worth hearing, to her point of view.

"Well… we could all have a slumber party." A little snort of laughter from Rapunzel made her rush ahead, "No, really—as we did when we were children, Punzie! Come now, you know they were the greatest fun!"

"What would happen in a slumber party with the two of _you_ is not something I'm ready f—

"Obviously I didn't mean _that_ sort of party!" Anna headed her off, but she was laughing. "Just staying up late, all piled in blankets and telling stories… perhaps some bread and cheese tucked away in our room? A little wine?"

Elsa raised her eyebrows. She was almost stunned at how much the mood had changed in just the span of a few minutes. Anna almost seemed angry when they'd been speaking about Rapunzel's mother. Now, she was all happy and jolly. Perhaps, this was what they needed—what Rapunzel needed the most.

"Anna, why don't we have supper first? We've eaten very little today. We can worry about this slumber party that you have in mind after we've got some food in our system," Elsa interrupted. But seeing how Rapunzel was finally laughing again, and Anna was rambling, there wasn't much to be worried about.

"Oh, but my sweet, Punzie and I had always wanted to have a slumber party when we were both children!" Anna pouted and nothing seemed more adorable than her puffed cheeks. Elsa almost wanted to cover her in kisses.

"We can talk about this _while_ we eat. I can hear your stomach rumbling."

Anna's cheeks flared red, and her eyebrows crossed angrily at the girl next to her. "W-What, it's not—"

As if on cue, to accentuate Elsa's point, a low grumble emitted from the redhead's stomach. Elsa smirked at her. "Yes, yes it is. So, let's figure out supper and while we eat we can discuss the slumber party."

Anna sighed resignedly in acquiescence. "Alright, alright… let's get some real food."

Elsa leaned in for a chaste peck on the cheek. "We can talk as we prepare dinner?"

"Oh, this should be fun!" Rapunzel giggled, standing up from her seat. "Anna couldn't cook to save her life before—has she gotten any better now?"

Anna puffed her cheeks out, glaring at her sprightly cousin. "I'll have you know I _can_ cook now! Maybe not as well as Elsa, but...that's beside the point!"

"Oh yeah? What can you cook then?"

"I don't know…" Anna shrugged. "Beans…?"

Rapunzel laughed. "What, do you cook them until they turn into a square or something? Mushing it together to make a big block?"

"Hmph! And you'd probably suggest I add pork too, don't you?" Anna huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Which, I'll have you know, I _can_ cook. Pork, I mean."

Her cousin arched her brow, smirking. " _Just_ pork?"

"Arrghh!" Anna threw her hands up in the air and marched over to where Elsa had already situated herself near the cooking table, setting down the ingredients for their supper.

Shortly, they had concocted a peasant's feast of beans and pork, a few assorted vegetables, and bread on the side. Anna and Rapunzel both felt better about their various woes with full bellies, and they began to talk more of Rapunzel's trip to Paris, though they had already covered the salient points. Anna shared one or two of the less risque tales of their courtship under Hans's nose, including the _chocolatl_.

"Oh! Oh, I've never heard of that!" Rapunzel gushed as they cleared away the table together. "Would I like it, do you think?"

"Doesn't much matter either way," Elsa sighed, corking the wine to go upstairs with them, should they follow through with Anna's plan. "I looked into getting more, and can't even track down who got it for Hans and myself last time. Nor do I have the faintest idea of where to begin looking. Sorry, _cher._ "

Pouting, Rapunzel sighed as she dried the dishes Anna had placed on the counter after washing. "But that sounds so good… oh well. I never get to have any fun."

"Well, all I can tell you is that, when you put just a little piece in your mouth…" Anna sighed, and she was dazed into paradise, just imagining the flavor. "...It just melts immediately… and it fills your tongue with this super sweet flavor. You really have to try it, Punzie."

The woman chuckled, grabbing the plate Anna had put down and carefully cleaned off the water. "If only I had the money, I would."

"You would not believe the expenses Hans spared in 'courting' Anna," Elsa chuckled. " _Chocolatl_ was the least of his concerns."

"And arguably the best!" Anna exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder to the blonde. She winked. " _Ma bien-aimée_ certainly won me over that day."

Said blonde arched a brow, a smirk curving onto her lips. "Really? _Chocolatl_ was all you wanted from me? Not my dashing good looks, my artistic flair, my eye for beauty?"

"Oh hush, you." The redhead stuck her tongue out before returning her attentions to cleaning the few dishes remaining.

" _Mon dieu,_ you might as well be an old married couple with how you're behaving," Rapunzel said, shoulders heaving in an exaggerated sigh, and Anna all but shoved the next plate at her for that remark. "What? It's technically true, anyway! You said your vows to each other at the wedding, didn't you? Even though Hans was right there...but still!"

It was then that the couple stared at each other in silence. "That vow…" Anna started, letting a hushed chuckle. "Oh, if only we haven't said it in secrecy."

"You'd much rather say it in front a crowd?" Her cousin raised her eyebrows. Anna knew what she was going to say next and managed to stop her before she could retort with another word.

"Yes I would, _if_ … it was our wedding."

Chuckling a little, Elsa walked over to her lover, wrapping her arms loosely around her waist. "I'm sorry I cannot give you the wedding you truly deserve, _ma chérie,_ " she whispered into Anna's ear, resting her chin on the girl's shoulder afterwards. "The best I can offer...would be a private affair within these walls. Just the two of us, reciting those vows once more as we stand opposite the other. Heh...perhaps Rapunzel could act as witness if she so chooses."

"Oh, she'd just tease us if she were there," Anna grumbled.

Rapunzel wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh, yes, I will. Just who wouldn't? You two are complete love birds!"

Anna groaned, placing her hand atop of Elsa's and she was surprised that her cousin could hear all that whispering. She seemed much like an old lady, rather than a loving cousin that'd leave her be. She felt warm lips ghosting against her neck and smiled at the gesture from her lover."I don't think we'll be having one soon, right, my sweet?" She cupped her cheek with her hand.

Elsa hummed and faced Rapunzel. "I think we are _bien_ just like this."

"Oh, of course," she waved off. "Who would want make such a huge promise so soon, right? Anyway..." She collected the dried plates and stacked them neatly on top of each other. "I think I might get sick of seeing the two of you with hands that aren't capable of holding themselves back from touching one another."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Would you care for a bath?"

"Perhaps, she'd like to bathe with us, Anna," Elsa breathed into her ear and a soft laughter escaped. She could feel the flush of Anna's cheeks—even the heat that was igniting from Rapunzel's as well. But all was well.

"Elsa, I said no teasing!" the brunette yelled, her cheeks becoming more flushed from the added frustration.

The woman shrugged, and she felt quite proud of the nervous laughter coming Anna. "Well, you just make it so easy for me, _Punzie._ " The emphasis was another tease, and it forced out an exasperated groan from Rapunzel.

Elsa gently squeezed her arms tighter around Anna's waist before relaxing them once more.

Anna flashed a smirk at her cousin, only to tack onto Elsa's jab with, "You know, Punzie, she's not wrong. You really do make it harder on yourself the way you leave yourself open. And honestly, turnabout is fair play. Much of what resulted the last time you visited was only triggered by your teases to begin with, after all."

The brunette grumbled under her breath, "Whose side are you on here?"

Anna replied without hesitation. "Elsa's, of course… who else?" The two lovers chuckled at Rapunzel's sigh of resignation, having ceded her loss.

They made their way to the hallway containing the bedrooms, trading further stories and jests at one another. However, now there was the question of who would bathe first...

"So…" Anna started. "Do you want to take a bath with us?"

The three immediately halted, all eyes on the redhead, but they knew she wasn't serious. That smirk exposed it all. Rapunzel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You know what, I think I'd rather take a bath by myself. _Before_ you two." She paused. "I'm being generous."

Elsa snickered. _"Généreuses?"_

"Well, I'm just assuming that… you know," Her cheeks flushed crimson again, her eyes wandering to evade two curious pairs of eyes. "I'm assuming that you'd want to… take time to…" Her hands gestured around but nobody seemed to have gotten what she was meaning to say. But perhaps, it was another one of their teasing games.

"Um… I don't quite—"

"You know!"

"I don't—"

" _Faire l'amour!"_

The couple burst into giggles like children.

"While I appreciate you trying to make us more comfortable, not every bath we take together ends up with us moaning each other's names," Anna managed to say, suppressing one last giggle. "Don't worry, Punzie—we won't subject you to that while you're here."

"Having another person in the same house never stopped you before, as I understand it," Rapunzel teased back, waggling her eyebrows.

"Well…" Anna put her hands behind her back, a sly smile began to stretch across her face. "There was this _one_ time when Elsa—"

"Anna! We do not talk about that!" The blonde could feel the rush of heat gushing upon her cheeks at the mention of that _one_ time. Rapunzel raised her wiggling eyebrows, noticing how ironic it was to see Elsa's heated face. She didn't care about what Anna had to say, all she wanted was her revenge.

"Oh? Elsa's shy now? After all that teasing?"

Anna smirked. The grip around her waist was tightened immediately by purpose, but it didn't bother her. "Sometimes, Elsa doesn't do well with others when… they tease her."

"Absurd!" Elsa gasped. "Anna, for the love of God, I thought you'd be on my side!"

"Well, you are easy to tease as well, my sweet."

"Anna!" Her blush intensified.

"I won't be that long," Rapunzel laughed as she left them to squabbling. However, when they noticed she was pausing at the door to the bath, they fell silent.

"What is it?" Elsa queried. "We can give you the key if you're worried about… encroachment."

"Not that. Just… I am faintly jealous. Of your love for each other!" she added, when she saw them surprised. "Not of… the other things. But you and she obviously care so much. I should be so lucky… with Eugene, or with another man."

"Or woman?" The coy smile on Elsa's face was only lightly teasing. "One never knows…"

"She's right," Anna added. "I certainly didn't set out to fall for the fairer sex—even a specimen as fair as this."

Pursing her lips to suppress a grin, Rapunzel wagged a finger at them as she backed into the room. "I highly doubt I could be in an… unorthodox relationship like yours, but… as you said, _seul le temps nous le dira."_

And with that, Rapunzel shut the door, leaving the two lovers alone in the hallway.

While Rapunzel was in the bath, Elsa and Anna went to heat up more water for the tub, so that it wouldn't be cold when it was their turn.

After about fifteen minutes, they returned upstairs to find Rapunzel just exiting the bathroom in her nightclothes and robe.

Elsa warmly said, "Have a good night, Rapunzel."

"Good night, Punzie. See you in the morning."

"A good night to both of you as well," she began. Then, teasingly added, "And no funny business in the tub, _right?_ "

 _Not in the tub, yes. I can't make any guarantees elsewhere if we both get too aroused…_ Elsa chuckled, shaking her head. "We won't. And if we do, you have full permission to tease as much as you like."

Anna's head immediately whipped towards her at that, eyes wide. _"Elsa!"_ she hissed, the words "Do you _really_ want to take that chance?" left unspoken.

Elsa merely shrugged her shoulders in response. "She's your cousin. And besides, if she does come to live with us for a while in the future, well… I'm going to have to get used to it at some point."

Anna shook her head. "I suppose you're right."

Rapunzel chortled mirthfully. "Good night, ladies…" She then proceeded to retire to the bedroom they had allocated for her stay.

"Shall we, my love?" Elsa inquired of Anna once the door had shut behind the brunette, with a hand extended.

"We shall."

* * *

 **Our contributors:** Cyrianu, forkanna/Jessica-X, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill


	11. The Art of Consummation

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **CHAPTER 11**

 _The Art of Consummation_

* * *

Their bath was a delightful affair, though they kept their promise… technically. Many wandering hands briefly teased, but they were able to mostly converse about Rapunzel and their new vintage of wine, getting their affairs in order, rearranging the house. There was a close call when the cake of soap was dropped into the water and Elsa's hands went to just the wrong area trying to find it, but they were able to move on from that without letting their animalistic urges overpower the moment.

Blissfully happy, they darted across and down the hall with their robes only clutched to cover their fronts and shut the door behind them as quietly as was possible. Then, slightly damp and bare to each other, they dove into the sheets, tangling their legs together and laughing mirthfully.

"Oh… it's so good to have you here, enjoying this. Together at last, and on our terms."

Anna rubbed her cheek against her own shoulder, eyes closed in contentment that could not be broken, not for anything in the world. "Your terms are my favourite. The only ones that matter."

"Not solely mine; my dear, sweet, beloved Anna. _Ours._ Always ours," Elsa murmured in reply, enraptured by the mere ability to lay together like this with _her Anna_ —not sharing her with another. Not fearing that another might despoil the beautiful creature in her arms. "Anna, I love you… completely, wholly… from the very depths of my heart and soul, and I am yours until the end of days."

Anna pulled Elsa to her, lips lightly brushing over each other before pulling back. "And I love you, Elsa. My heart is yours, forevermore." She began to gently rub her hand up and down the blonde's bare side, eliciting a shiver from her lover.

In return, Elsa leaned back in to press her lips against Anna's once more, firmly yet softly and slowly all at once. A kiss not of unbridled passion, but meant to convey her love for the woman she wished to spend the rest of her life with—the church and society be damned. For several minutes, their lips danced across one another's, neither pressing to move further just yet—content in that moment to express their love for each other in one of the purest means possible.

When Anna's hand began to get more aggressive in its circling of Elsa's hip, the owner pulled back from the kiss with a quiet grin, eyes closed. "You're headed in a very specific direction, _cherie._ "

"I am." Her hand fell down to become trapped by Elsa's firm thighs, and she was content to leave it there for the time being. "Are you going to try and dissuade me again? Maybe we need the king himself to bless my hands before they're allowed to touch the Great Elsa Maurer?"

" _Arret,_ " Elsa chuckled as she swatted at Anna's bottom very lightly. It did still make a tiny _slap!_ and Anna did gasp, but that was the long and short of it. "Your hands are blessed by being attached to your arms… and your heart… and your beauteous face."

The way Elsa had of building her up, even when she already felt as if she were soaring as high as she could go, always seemed to cut through Anna's heart so effortlessly. Her hand raised upward slowly as she whispered, "None of which are worthy of you. But I'll do my best."

"Oh you'll do your best, alright." Anna smirked. "To keep quiet, that is." Her legs quickly looped around her waist and with a surprised gasp, Elsa was suddenly lying on her back and Anna was straddling her. Free from her thighs, Anna's hands decided to keep them there, feeling the smooth skin of her lover.

Elsa visibly shuddered at the light touches against her skin, and Anna's smirk grew at the sight of the blonde's rosy nipples stiffening. Leaning forward, her mouth closed around one, tongue laving against the bud as Elsa jerked beneath her from the suddenness of the action.

"D-Diving headfirst, aren't you?"

Anna's heart swelled at the hitch in her lover's breath; the minor stutter in her words. Releasing the nipple, she grinned at the flushed blonde. "If I _truly_ desired to dive headfirst into this, your legs would've been wrapped around my head already," the girl all but purred, bringing one hand up to briefly poke Elsa's nose. "I still find it decidedly unfair how _you_ have already tasted my nectar...but I haven't, yours."

Elsa hummed, and brought her fingers into the woman's fiery red hair. The aqua blue eyes that stared right back at her were not lustful and desperate. Quite loving, actually… and she found it comforting that Anna was being patient. There had to be a reward.

She leaned in and sent Anna spiraling into pleasure with one tender kiss. The redhead shuddered on top of her and she was melting into her lips. She was unable to keep still or even keep herself quiet as Elsa's tongue was probing for her lips to open. And even though she'd been in control a minute ago, she was under Elsa's now. Anna was restless.

Her hands began to roam again, fingers driving up to her hips and held a firm hold on her waist. She couldn't wait any longer. Anna invited her lover's tongue in, and in return, moans slipped out. _Mon Dieu, is this really happening?_

That question was immediately answered when two foreign hands dived down her body— _extremely_ cold hands, she must say—and they were softly pressed against her breasts. _Merde, it is!_

"Careful," Elsa breathlessly admonished when they parted for air, bumping noses. "Weren't you the one talking about staying quiet?"

"Well, forgive me for being relieved this night is finally happening!" Anna huffed before nuzzling her face into the crook of the blonde's neck in retaliation. Elsa barely stifled her giggles, her body jerking from how ticklish the sensation was.

The giggles soon turned into moans from the hot breath meeting her cold skin, wet kisses coating her sloppily. Her grip on her breasts tightened and out came a gasp from Anna's lips.

"Anna…" the blonde moaned, shivers running down her body, and fingers delicately making the woman shudder as they drove up and down her sides. They were both growing hot… burning with lust and pleasure… oh, but they were very much in love with each other. Their hearts pounded as if they wanted an escape from their bodies. They could hear it. Feel it.

 _This is it_.

Pulling away, they found themselves with dark eyes, hooded, and unfocused. The only focus they had was with each other. Anna swallowed; she could still taste Elsa, and gods, she wanted more. The blonde beneath her was able to grin. Marks were planted on her skin, sweat beginning to drip, and the heat between her legs began to throb.

Anna stayed silent, watching the girl caress her cheek with the back of her fingers. _Dieu,_ she longed for this touch. "Anna…"

She grabbed her hand, squeezing, and let them laced together. "Yes…?"

" _Touchez-moi…"_

Rather than responding with words, Anna began to slide down Elsa's body again, teeth raking over the expanse of cleavage, lips closing around the soft flesh of a breast. Tongue unfurling to trace a thin line down the plane of her stomach, which flexed under the feather-light touch, the intimate attention. When her mouth drew closer to its goal, she felt heels lay upon her back.

"Anna… what do you… mean to do down there?"

Again, she answered by bringing her hand up to rest gently upon the sodden folds of her lover. Only to drape over them, not to further tease… but Elsa's reaction spoke volumes. She was overjoyed at feeling Anna up against her there, aching for more. She obliged by running her fingers up and down the slick surface.

"You're so ready," she breathed urgently, inhaling the light scent of her need. "Oh, you're so soft, too… Elsa, I've been dreaming about this for so long…"

"Have you?" Licking her lips, blue eyes pierced down from between breasts to meet the pair hiding between her thighs. "Dreaming of my rose petals? Of tearing them apart for me?'

The vicious imagery somehow sent a thrill of urgency straight down Anna's spine, and she pressed her hand in harder, eliciting a deep, resonant moan from her lover. Maybe she needn't be so gentle after all.

"How tenderly would you like me to treat you, _ma bien-aimée_?" Anna purred as her hand began to rub in slow circles. A gasp escaped from Elsa's lips, and her hands clenched at the sheets. Smirking, the girl continued, "Would you like me to go fast? Hard? Show you the passion that's culminated over these months of hiding, from suppressing our carnal desires?"

Her finger brushed against the rosy bud peeking out from its hood, and Elsa's hips jerked violently as she clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a needy whine. Anna took the finger away, watching as Elsa's chest heaved and those blue eyes burned into hers, black with arousal.

"Or would you rather I give your canvas a more...tender touch, hm?"

"Anything… and everything."

Dipping her head low, she allowed her lips to wrap around the bud itself—and she had to fight down a pronounced shiver at the taste of her lover. So long had she been waiting for this, telling herself it could not be as wondrous as she hoped… and it was. Sweet and faintly salty, and more than anything rich and full. Delectable. Prodding at the nub with the tip of her tongue, she began to pet the lips with her fingers very gently as she did so. A mixture of roughness and tenderness.

"Anna!" Elsa gasped out from behind her hand. "That's so good, _mmhhh..._ more! Oh yes, please!"

"Yes.. more…" The redhead showed what she wanted "more" of when she dipped her head lower and gave a long lick against the entirety of her lover's glistening sex, dancing inside at how good it was. Oh, how she had needed to find her way there!

A rumbling groan of pure bliss resonated from deep within Anna's throat as her taste buds sampled more of the exquisite nectar Elsa's body readily produced. The result of her attentive administrations sparked an answering low moan from her writhing lover. Peering up at the beautifully flushed blonde from behind her lashes, Anna parted the heated folds with her fingers to grant herself better access to the pot of luscious honey tucked away between them.

" _Ci-dessus devine_ _!"_ Elsa sucked in her breath harshly and clamped her hand tightly over her mouth to stifle her sounds of pleasure as an enthusiastic tongue delved within her sex, the adventurous muscle wriggling and thrusting as far as it could reach, collecting more of her unique flavor.

How Anna knew what to do in this situation was a mystery—to both of them. She was already so skilled, so effortless in her ability! Her best guess was that she knew how Elsa's fingers had pleasured her, the ways they had moved, and simply did her best to mimic that with her dextrous tongue.

Before long, Elsa was a writhing, panting, whirling dervish of joy, legs draped over Anna's shoulders and waiting for release. One that might not be too far off if the sounds coming from her throat were any sign at all.

" _Oui!"_ she began to repeat continuously, unable to elucidate beyond that single word. Anna spared a glance up, and saw the blonde so unmade that it rivalled the sight she had beheld that time before in the bath. Completely given over to the moment, lips stretched wide, eyes pressed together so hard they looked as if she were in pain. And she was, in a way—for love is the pain that is welcome.

Beaming at her own doing, her chest filled with pride from just watching her woman melting in her hands, she whispered, _"Je t'aime tellement…"_ She pressed a kiss against her inner thigh, her tongue worshiping every single part of her… smothering her with her love. Anna earned a string of moans and fingers abruptly clenching down into her hair. She didn't mind.

Her fingers continued thrusting slowly, curling into her most pleasurable spot. Elsa was already at her peak, her back arching at an incredible angle, and moans became silent gasps and screams.

" _Regarde moi…"_ Anna breathed. "I want you to look at me, my sweet…"

" _N-non,_ I can't!" Elsa whispered. "I… my back wants to bow upward for you!"

"Then command it to look at me, as well." Elsa did as she was bade, and Anna increased her pressure, her speed, with both fingers and tongue now, each having its own separate task like a painter and a model. Now she would only have to complete this work of art once and for all.

And before long: _"Ahnhh!_ Anna! _Heilige Scheiße,_ I… _oui! MmmhhaAAAAHHH!"_

The blonde was so much more _ferocious_ in her orgasm than Anna could have predicted, despite all the _panache_ she had displayed throughout their entire courtship. Legs whirling, back shifting up and down, fingers clenching so hard in her hair that she could feel the roots aching. The warm gush of fluid went down her chin and fingers, and she welcomed them, eyes drifting closed herself as she was delighted to enjoy having such sacred water bestowed upon her person. Truly a religious experience.

When Elsa finally was breathing more normally again, albeit in shaky tones, she leaned up and whispered, _"Est-ce bon, ma bien-aimée?"_

" _Parfaitement! Mon Dieu,_ Anna, how… _when_ did you become such a _Schlampe?!"_

Shivering, Anna leaned up onto her knees, grinning down at her lover as she began to stroke along one leg. "Whatever you just called me in _l'Allemand,_ it sounded dirty. I'll wear it like a badge of honour."

Blue eyes blinked up at her as she watched Anna manipulate her leg up and over her own shoulder, pausing to kiss her wine-stained toes before nestling the calf in its new place. "Wait… what are… what are you doing?"

"Taking my turn," she breathed heatedly as she began to shuffle forward.

"W-What? I-I can— _Oh, mon Dieu…"_ she moaned, eyes rolling back, her body slackened in bed. Her moans grew louder and no way could she hold herself back anymore with Anna's glistening folds kissing hers. This time, she could keep her eyes on Anna's, lips shuddering and their body trembling blissfully.

Anna hadn't moved yet. She wanted to make sure Elsa was alright with this. By the look in her eyes, dark as if it'd been drowning into the deepest part of the ocean… dark as if it'd been devoured by lust, she seemed completely fine. Perhaps, even desired it.

Slowly, she began thrusting her hips against her lover's, and pleasure immediately bolted through her body. Moans automatically escaped, breathing getting shallow, and _mon Dieu!_ Elsa was moving her hips below her.

"I… wasn't sure how this would feel, love," Anna confessed breathily as she experimented, rolling her hips slightly, shifting them from side to side. "But I… wanted to feel us joined in this way, at least once! Is it alright, are y… you alright?"

All Elsa could manage was a weak nod as her eyes drank in the towering goddess who meant to rub themselves raw up against each other. How could she have become so blessed with such majesty? Indeed, this was something that she had not dreamed to try before—especially because she typically was fortunate enough to find a stolen moment with a lover, and even then tended to focus her mind and body on pleasuring the other party. Now, here was Anna…

There _was_ Anna. Supple, strong, outwardly demure, inwardly a lioness. Grasping at her leg like the mast of a wind-tossed ship as she began to grind harder, and she felt her heart seize when she saw two differing swatches of curling hair laid alongside each other. They were really joined, as much as any married couple. This was their honeymoon night.

 _A night I never thought we would ever have together._

The moans grew in volume when Anna began mimicking the motions Elsa had done to her on the kitchen table so many weeks ago. Hips thrusting as if she were taking her, their wet folds rubbing desperately against the other, juices mixing like that day…

But unlike that day, there were no restraints now; no holding back from their love.

Anna's hands tightened their hold on Elsa's leg pressed against her chest as her fervent rocking gained in momentum. Panting and gasping, heart pumping from the exertion and from their intense connection, she closed her eyes and murmured endearing words while her mouth simultaneously peppered Elsa's leg with an abundance of kisses and love bites, nibbling and sucking on the pale, smooth flesh and staking her claim on the beauty beneath her.

 _Dieu_ , Elsa was hers. Completely and utterly, and that wonderful realization made her racing heart swell with pride, tears of joy springing to her eyes.

"Ah...A-Anna…?"

The concern amidst Elsa's breathless voice drew her attention, and she turned her head to see the worried furrow in her lover's brow. Their rocking slowed down a little— _was something wrong? Does...Does Elsa not want this anymore?_

"A-Anna, you're...you're crying."

 _Oh._ A watery laugh fell from her lips, and Anna shook her head, peppering kisses against Elsa's skin anew. "They're tears of joy, my sweet. I'm just... _so happy_."

Elsa answered the declaration with a tender smile and shifted enough to raise herself up on one elbow, reaching out and cupping Anna's cheek, thumb smoothing away the bit of wetness that trickled from her eye. "Me too, _ma chérie_. I am so very happy… so _chanceux_ and _béni_ to have you in my life." She slid her hand to the back of her love's neck, prompting Anna to lean forward so their foreheads touched and they could gaze into each other's eyes.

Licking her own lips, Anna said thickly, stumbling over words that were foreign coming from her mouth, but those that she'd heard repeated to her on many occasions, _"Ich liebe dich_ , Elsa."

Surprise flashed across Elsa's face at her love's usage of her native language. " _Ich liebe dich auch_ , Anna," she echoed softly, punctuating her meaningful words by bonding their lips together, parting them to allow their tongues to caress and explore leisurely.

There was a mild groan from Elsa, due to how her leg was being forced back so they could join their lips, but it was a groan of pleasure and gratitude, not agony. Her lover made sure not to strain the thigh any more than was strictly necessary, but she did run her fingernails lightly over the skin, prompting even more shivers than their contact did in and of itself.

"I'm s-so close," Anna breathed onto her chin, voice trembling with the effort of suppressing said climax. At first, she had been unsure such an act could lead her there, and she longed to feel her love's slender, artistic fingers inside of her body, but the mere thought of being joined as a married couple would be was enough to heighten every last sensation of slick folds against one another.

When Anna leaned back to throw herself yet harder into her thrusting, arms wrapped around the leg for leverage, Elsa lay back on her elbows with her head angled behind her, as if rinsing soap from her hair. Beads of sweat shone on her forehead, her lips glistening from their kiss. If she had not been busy, Anna would have loved to paint her in this way.

She might eventually request the pose. For her private collection.

"An...AnnnNNA!"

The bed shook violently with their desperate lovemaking, so close as they were to their climax—to that final plunge into sweet, sweet bliss. Elsa began slipping back into her native German, urging Anna on and fanning the fire in her loins into an almost overwhelming heat.

So warm.

So wet.

 _So_ _ **close**_.

So _**gone.**_

Anna bit hard on her lip to stifle her scream once her orgasm swept through her, having had just enough sense left to remember they weren't alone in the chateau. Her limbs locked as her body arched, poised in that moment of heavenly pleasure—of oneness with the woman she loved above all. With Anna's release, Elsa soared into her own, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her own scream of pleasure.

Anna recovered first, thrusting shallowly upon seeing that Elsa was still in the midst of her orgasm. She could taste blood, having broken through skin from holding back her cries, but that didn't matter right now.

All that mattered was the two of them here, right now; having finally consummated their love, their secret marriage.

Collapsing into bed, with red hair brushing against her face, Elsa was laughing. Perhaps, she was just breathing too hard. But her lover was too tired and found her spot on her breasts too comfortable to even look up. Instead, she let out a hum of content, fingers drawing gentle circles on top of her chest.

"What…?"

The blonde ran her fingers down her lover's scalp, leaving her shuddering more than she had been. "We've finally… we've…"

This time, Anna had her chin up and eyes met two ocean blue orbs staring lovingly right back at her. She grinned, her cheeks bloomed red at the thought of what they'd done. "We've made love, Elsa."

Elsa kissed her lips lovingly. "Yes, we have," she said, sighing contently and curling her arms around Anna's upper body, hands gliding up and down skin dampened with sweat from their arduous activity. Anna purred at the soothing caress and melted into her, dropping her head on Elsa's shoulder and nuzzling the side of her neck. Holding her tightly, never wanting to let go of the comforting firmness and warmth of her love, Elsa promised, "Nobody is going to get between us again, my love."

" _Bien_ ," Anna responded sleepily, her eyes slipping closed as the exhaustion of their intimate dance slowly claimed her. "As long as I live, I will not stand to be parted from you ever again."

She nuzzled closer, ready to slip into the depths of sleep, firmly ensconced in the arms of her lover. Elsa pressed a kiss to Anna's head, smiling into her air. Her eyes drifted shut as well, with Anna's soft breathing as her lullaby and her body offering more warmth and comfort than any blanket.

"I love you," the blonde whispered but she wasn't sure if her lover heard it—she was already deep into her slumber. But seeing her smile in her sleep, Elsa got her reply. She was so warm… and Anna's heart beating against Elsa's chest told her that she was here. She wasn't going to leave… and it was beating like this because she was Elsa's. _Only_ Elsa's.

Running her fingers down the small of her bare back, Elsa felt a shiver from the body pressed on top of her. She smiled, longingly and with love. Mumbles slipped between the redhead's lips and barely, could the blonde make out a few words. She strained to hear, but she knew it was nothing but sweet, soft nothings. It wouldn't be a surprise if it was something random but...

" _Elsa… taime… a toi… toujours…"_

With that, Elsa allowed her own heart skip, and tears to slip out in the corner of her eyes. She was thankful and she was grateful, that a woman, so selfless and wonderful, to be allowed in her life. She thanked God for this gift. This… piece of art. This masterpiece.

With an embrace so light, yet so thick with warmth, Elsa's eyelids grew heavy. _"Gute Nacht, meine Geliebte."_

* * *

Everything was well, as they slept soundlessly until a loud string of bangs on the door had startled the two awake.

"What the—?" Elsa quickly rose from the bed in mild annoyance. She was close to falling into blissful slumber next to her lover until some noise got in her way.

"Hm?" Anna shifted in bed, eyes blearily blinking open at having been roused from her brief sleep. "Elsa, what's wrong?"

" _Anna, I'm trying to sleep here!"_ Rapunzel's voice sounded from behind the door, and both of their eyes widened in horror, faces paling.

The doorknob was shaking rapidly. Luckily, the two had locked the door before their love session.

" _You guys aren't that discreet, you know?! Keep it down!"_

The horror in their faces intensified, and sleep was no longer what they could think about now. The screams and the moans that filled the room, and the smell of sex still lingering in bed, came into their thoughts. _Mon Dieu_ , Rapunzel heard allof that!

" _I don't need to hear you screaming each other's name!"_

"O-Oh God, Elsa, what do we do?" Anna whispered to her lover. Not like Rapunzel could hear that, but… after all that screaming, she wanted to be extra careful. Elsa chewed on her bottom lip, ignoring the complaints going on from outside of their door.

"Well… we could have her join us—"

"Elsa, no time for joking!" She slapped her arm. "Quick, make up an excuse!"

"What, excuse? Who ever moans like that in any other situation?"

"Oh, I don't know! Massaging, I guess!"

The blonde burst into child-like giggles. "Seriously?" She sighed and let her lover roll over to stand and put a robe around herself. She was grumbling and Elsa took the pleasure to fill her eyes with the sight in front of her—red hair splayed down her lover's back, freckles covering her shoulders. It was an impeccable sight to drink in. One that didn't seem at all worthy to be ogling at.

"Are you just going to stare, my sweet?" The robe finally covered all of her. That disappointed her. Elsa blinked and got up, catching a different robe thrown at her.

Sufficiently dressed—or rather, as dressed as she could _be_ right now—Anna walked over to the door while the blonde behind her slipped into her own robe. Rapunzel was still going on from the other side of the door and, bracing herself for the full brunt of her cousin's words face-to-face, Anna reached for the doorknob.

Instead she just got knocked on the head just as she opened the door. "O-Ow! Stop, stop it!" She shielded her head.

"O-Oh, sorry! Sorry, didn't mean that—" Rapunzel cleared her throat, and straightened her posture. "I-I mean I'm not sorry-" Looking over to Anna's shoulder, Elsa was coming up from behind, arms crossed over her chest.

"Hello, Rapunzel."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "What the hell were you two doing? I was going to sleep!"

"Elsa was giving me a massage, my dear cousin," Anna answered, making sure she sounded fairly exasperated. Perhaps, so Rapunzel would believe it, but those noises they were making… Anna doubted it.

"A... massage," Rapunzel echoed, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, a massage," Anna sighed, trying to act as normal as she could. "Elsa was tired and she was all stiff from sitting behind a canvas for hours, so I offered."

Rapunzel crossed her arms, eyes sweeping left to right between the girls. They both seemed very serious. "Well, it didn't sound like you…"

"What did you think we were doing?" Elsa asked.

"Making love!" The brunette brought her arms up in the air. "The noises you were making, do you know what the two of you sounded like?!"

"We do apologise. If you like, we could give you a massage, as well… _show_ you why there's so much noi— But a swat from Anna stopped her from finishing that sentence, turning the last words into chuckles.

Smirking, Rapunzel folded her arms. "Actually, that would be nice. A _real_ massage; tomorrow, to make up for interrupting my sleep."

"Done," Elsa said without any hesitation. When Anna reared back again, she held up a hand. _"Sincèrement!_ I am capable of a decent, non-suggestive massage. A bit of olive oil…"

"Olive oil? Elsa, don't tease the poor girl, we already woke her up from a dead sleep with our… _massaging_."

"I accept." The two of them blinked at the brunette's slightly pink cheeks, and she held a finger up in warning. "BUT! Do anything… _étrange,_ and I'll never forgive you! You're Anna's husband and you have my trust, so please, do not break it."

Bowing slightly in Rapunzel's direction, Elsa told her in a very formal tone, "Yes, of course. You have my word." When she caught Anna giggling, she turned and asked her, "What?"

" _Husband Elsa,_ let's go back to bed," Anna tittered, and the other two had to laugh as well. It sounded a bit odd to say, even if, considering their circumstances, it was largely accurate.

"Yes, my dear _wife_ ," Elsa began, placing specific emphasis upon the final word. "We should, and let your _poor cousin_ get some sleep." She chortled out the last part, before flashing the brunette a smirk—previous embarrassment at having been 'caught' long forgotten. Assuming her role, she reached out her hand to take Anna's in order to guide them back to their bed, leaving Rapunzel to return to her own room for the night.

After turning and making it halfway to her room, Rapunzel cast a glance back to the pair over her shoulder. "Goodnight, you two. And if either of you insist on giving the other another… _massage_ … please try to keep it down this time."

The lovers merely giggled in response.

* * *

 **Our contributors:** forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill, CanITellUSmthin, Brown Turtle


	12. Epilogue: The Art of Love

**Author's Note:** A huge _merci/dankeschön_ to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

* * *

 **La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses  
** [The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

 **EPILOGUE**

 _The Art of Love_

* * *

A few days later saw Elsa and Anna standing in the courtyard of their home, with Rapunzel across from the pair. Both cousins were crying freely, for Rapunzel was prepared to leave to return to her mother in Arras once again.

Anna rushed over to the brunette, sweeping her into a crushing hug. She sobbed, "I'm going to miss you, Punzie… it was so good to see you again. Please at least write me?"

"I'll miss you too, Anna," came the weepy reply. "And I will. I promise."

"And please, if you need any help at all...don't hesitate to ask," Elsa said earnestly, placing a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder—only to get pulled into a group hug. The embrace tightened, all three of them squeezed together before stepping away.

"Remember your promise, Elsa!" Rapunzel said as she walked over to the coach. "If I find out you've broken it in any way, there will be hell to pay!"

Elsa had no doubts about that. However, she _did_ doubt the brunette's concerns would come to pass; she and Anna would probably have disagreements in the future, as all couples eventually faced, but her heart knew it would have no other than Anna. Smiling good-naturedly, she called back, "Should I ever break it, your cousin would likely kill me before you can!"

"I'll kill you twice, then!"

They all laughed—even the coachman.

When the moment passed, the coachman held the door for Rapunzel to enter. Once she was seated, he shut it and they left for Arras.

During this time, Elsa was fiddling with her left hand in her trouser pocket—fingers playing gently over something small. She glanced over at Anna briefly, but the redhead's attention was still focused on the departing coach, for which she was grateful. She had been trying for days to find the right time… yet, it never seemed to avail itself while their guest was with them.

Once the coach was out the gates and down the road, Anna returned her attention to Elsa. "Would you care to have some wine in the gardens this afternoon? It's such a lovely day."

 _That's perfect._ "Yes, I would like that." _The quiet serenity of the gardens, shrouded from everybody else… This is the moment I've been awaiting._

"Well, come along then!" Anna giggled, offering her arm. Elsa took it with a smile, and off they went back inside the chateau. She was more comfortable within its walls—away from any curious eyes on the street. Especially with what she had in mind...she didn't need any rumors to spread.

Well, more than what was already floating out there, at least. After all, two women living on their own would raise an eyebrow, if only as passing thought. A harmless thought so long as they did nothing in public, but still a thought nonetheless.

"Something on your mind, my sweet?" Anna asked as they reached the gardens. "You looked awfully pensive on our way here."

"Fret not, _ma bien-aimée… ma épouse_ ," Elsa reassured her. "It's a trivial matter, one soon rectified." Anna cast a sidelong glance her way, brow raised in curiosity; but the only reply she received was a smile. A smile which made her feel like her whole body would melt in that moment.

Changing the subject, Elsa commented nonchalantly, "The gardens are quite beautiful this time of year, aren't they?"

This caused Anna to turn and look all around, revelling in the warm rays of the sun lighting the area to reveal the various greens, pinks, reds, and yellows of the shrubberies and flowers. "So very beautiful," she breathed in reply.

While Anna's back was turned, Elsa pulled the small object from her left pocket to look at it once more. A ring consisting of entwined gold bands braided together paired with a pearl clasped by five claws to hold it in place. The ring had been her grandmother's wedding band, passed down through her father's side to her. It was one of the few remaining items she owned from her family's belongings, along with her mother's wedding ring and a few older heirlooms.

Upon finishing her survey of the gardens, Anna turned around to find Elsa down on one knee with her left hand outstretched upwards towards her.

"Oh!" Anna laughed, covering her hand with her mouth. When Elsa didn't laugh back, only held her position with the hand awaiting Anna's, her smile slowly faded into a look of pure surprise. "Oh… _oh._ "

" _Ma chérie_ … if this is the only way I can express my affection for you in a public way, then it is what I must do. A moral imperative." Taking Anna's hand, she slid the ring up, barely reaching the first knuckle before she heard a soft little sob from overhead. Keeping her eyes trained down, she went on: "You are the oils that bring vivid colour to my drab white canvas. My muse, _ma meilleur amie,_ the only woman on the planet who is forever chained to my heart. And I gladly am slave to you, Anna."

The _protégée_ gazed down upon her mentor and whispered, "Not my slave. _Ma partenaire._ Oh, Elsa… I… already felt the same, knew you did, but…" A wet little laugh issued forth as she felt lips against her fingers. "Promise me someday you _will_ write your own book of poetry? Your words… I can't match them, never could."

"If my words are as great as you say, I shudder to think of you matching them," Elsa chuckled, tears gathering in her eyes as well. "I do not think I could handle such beauty, such magnificence."

Anna gave another laugh, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand. "That is me everyday. Each day I ask how I could have ever found the company of someone so...so…" Another sob escaped as Elsa slid the ring all the way, pressing a kiss to the back of her freckled hand.

"So full of _panache?"_

"Exactly that, my sweet." Then she impatiently drew Elsa up to envelop her in a crushing hug, one that was followed by an even more crushing intersection of their lips. Anna kissed her harder than ever they had, which was no easy feat considering some of their previous occasions.

When they finally drew away, panting and bleary-eyed, Elsa pressed her lips to the corners of each of Anna's teal eyes, removing the moisture even as more gathered in her own. Then she whispered, _"Je t'aime._ My Roxanna."

" _Je t'adore,_ you rogue. Always." Her lips swung up and pressed into the end of Elsa's nose before she finally dropped back to admire her new ring. "Wherever did you get this? It's quite gorgeous!"

"It is a family heirloom," the blonde answered, taking her hands into her own and rubbing a thumb over the metal. "Generations of Maurer have worn this, and now...it has come to you. Decades upon decades leading to this moment." She leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Anna's lips.

"And I shall wear it with pride for decades upon decades more," her wife—yes, her _wife_ —whispered in the scant space between them.

Elsa chuckled. "Although, should anyone ask—"

"Oh, you should know by now I am not a fool!" Anna said, bumping their foreheads together with another watery laugh. "But...it would be true, in a sense. You are my dearest friend. My closest companion… and also, the love of my life. I will treasure it."

Elsa's lips quirked. "Forever?"

"Forever."

And so the two lovers kissed once more, laughing and bumping noses and enjoying the moment neither thought would ever come. To be married in heart, in soul...and now a ring for their unending love. A cycle that would never be broken in this life, and all the lives to come.

 _ **FIN**_

* * *

 **Our contributors:** Cyrianu, The Wandering Quill, forkanna/Jessica-X


End file.
